, //.  n.  qs- 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.  ^ 


Purchased  by  the  Hammill  IVlIssionary  Fund. 


Division 

DS  821  .C32 

Carrothers,  Julia  D. 
Kesa  and  Sai j i ro 


MT.  FUJIYAMA  ANU  AX  INLAND  VALLE V.— Frontispiece. 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO 


OR, 

LIGHTS  AND  SHADES  OF  LIFE 
IN  JAPAN. 


BY 

MRS.  J.  D.  ‘CARROTHERS. 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

150  NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK  CITY. 


COPYRIGHT,  1888, 

BY  AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

“ Alas ! Master,  it  is  a daughter  ” 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Schoolmaster’s  Boy 

CHAPTER  III. 

New  Japan 

CHAPTER  IV. 

A Midsummer  Day 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Story  of  the  Hairdresser 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Saijiro  climbs  the  Mountain 

CHAPTER  \TI. 

Tama’s  New  Home 

CHAPTER  VIII. 


On  the  other  side  of  the  Hakones 

CHAPTER  IX. 


Riiijiro’s  Question 

Seeing  Buddha’s  Face 


CHAPTER  X. 


CHAPTER  XL 


7 

15 

22 


34 


41 

54 

62 


76 


92 


105 


115 


Midsummer  I'eslival 


4 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Winter  in  Yamamidzu iji 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Witsu’s  Troubles 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Sunset  on  the  Hakones 1 1^7 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Good  Doctor 167 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Storm  in  the  Mountains 180 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

From  Yamamidzu  to  Tokio 188 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Chapel  Service 206 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

A Country  Boy  in  Tokio 215 

CHAPTER  XX. 

School  Days 229 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Midwinter  in  Tokio 245 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Sjjring  Blossoms 262 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

“Mushi” 277 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Harukichi  and  Chiye 2S7 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Dismantled  Shrine 302 

CHAPTER  XXVL 

Mi.ssionarics  on  the  Ilakoncs 315 


COXTI;NTS.  5 

CHAPTER  XXVIL 

The  Midnight  Prayer 328 

CHAPTER  xxvni. 

The  Little  Visitor 343 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Some  Letters  and  a Wedding 356 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Kesa  and  her  Father 370 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A Winter  Journey 376 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The  Home  and  the  Prison 393 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Jinrikisha  Rides 403 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

A Sabbath  in  Hiroshima 41 1 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

A Beautiful  Isle  of  the  Sea 416 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Home  Again 423 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Some  Happy  Days 42S 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Christian  Homes  and  Christian  Work 43I 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

Saijiro’s  Resolve  — 437 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


MT.  FUJIYAMA  AND  AN  INLAND  VALLEY-Frontispieck. 

YAMAMIDZU 15 

TOKIO  AND  VICINITY— Map 22 

YETARO’S  SCHOOL 35 

A JAPANESE  COOPER 40 

MEGUCHI,  KESA,  AND  RINJIRO 46 

YENOSKE  AND  THE  PACK-HORSE 54 

FEMALE  MUSICIANS 70 

JINRIKISHA  TRAVELLERS 85 

JAPANESE  CARPENTERS 105 

KESA  AND  xMITSU 127 

THE  EIGHT-HEADED  DRAGON 130 

THE  RABBIT  AND  THE  CROCODILES 135 

A JAPANESE  TINSMITH 288 

A JAPANESE  MANSION 292 

A JAPANESE  BARBER. 319 

MOUNTAIN  GIRLS 326 

A JAPANESE  SANDAL-MAKER 3S3 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  I. 

“alas!  master,  it  is  a daughter. “ 

The  sun  was  just  rising  over  Japan  when  the 
officer  Fujisawa’s  fifth  little  daughter  was  born  ; 
and  she  was  named  Kesa,  which  means  Morning. 

Five  girls  in  a Japanese  family,  and  never  a 
boy  to  inherit  the  father’s  name  or  to  perpetuate 
the  glory  of  his  house  1 But  Fujisawa  was  a man 
who  accepted  with  patience  “whatever  the  gods 
saw  fit  to  send.”  So  when  the  woman  Meguchi, 
for  years  a faithful  servant  in  the  family,  came  to 
him  with  the  words,  “Master,  it  is  a daughter; 
truly,  a misfortune!”  he  simply  said,  “It  is 
well,”  and  turned  away  to  hide  whatever  disap- 
pointment he  may  have  felt. 

Before  he  went  to  the  custom-house  that 
morning  he  spoke  kindly  to  his  wife  and  glanced 
at  the  little  baby.  Then  he  took  in  his  arms  the 
ailing  three-year-old  Hana  and  placed  her  in  a 
sheltered  nook  of  the  garden,  bidding  some  on^ 
look  after  her. 


8 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


There  were  no  rejoicings,  no  congratulations 
or  sending  of  presents,  as  there  would  have  been 
had  a boy  come  into  the  household.  The  girl- 
baby  was  not  worth  any  of  these. 

But  Fujisawa  was  really  fond  of  his  children. 
And  already  the  eldest  was  betrothed  to  the  son 
of  a valued  friend,  a rich  merchant  of  Hakodate — 
a merchant,  and  yet  of  high-born  family.  There 
was  no  questioning  as  to  whether  the  young  peo- 
ple would  care  for  one  another  when  they  were 
married.  The  match  was  simply  a matter  of 
business  between  the  two  fathers,  and  those  most 
concerned  were  asked  nothing  about  it. 

The  home  of  the  little  Fujisawas  was  near  an 
old  yashiki^  or  prince’s  dwelling,  in  the  high  part 
of  Tokio  called  the  Kudan.  This  place  overlooks 
the  bay  and  commands  a beautiful  view  of  the 
city,  with  its  low  buildings,  its  temples  and 
groves.  The  horizon  is  bounded  on  all  sides  by 
mountains,  the  Hakones  and  the  Nikko  and 
Kadzusa  ranges,  while  to  the  southwest  rises 
Mt.  Fuji,  the  sacred,  “matchless”  mountain,  the 
pride  and  glory  of  the  Japanese. 

The  house  of  Fujisawa  was  large  and  airy 
and  was  kept  scrupulously  clean.  The  family 
lived  for  the  most  part  down  stairs,  the  one  long 
room  of  the  upper  story  being  a sort  of  smoking- 
room  for  Fujisawa  and  his  friends.  Especially 
did  they  enjoy  this  room  during  the  long  summer 
evenings,  when  the  slides  were  drawn  back,  and 


“alas!  master,  it  is  a daughter.”  9 

those  who  were  assembled  there  could  look  down 
over  the  lights  of  the  city  and  up  to  the  distant, 
silent  stars. 

The  large  parlor  below  was  almost  without 
furniture.  The  spotless  white  mats,  the  polished 
woodwork,  the  elegant  vases  with  tastefully-ar- 
ranged flowers,  and  the  handsome  scrolls  were 
sufficient  to  show  the  high  social  standing  of  the 
family.  Nor  was  there  much  furniture  elsewhere 
in  the  house ; only  a few  little  tables  and  some 
mattresses,  the  latter  now  spread  out  to  air  in  the 
morning  sun. 

The  garden  was  the  great  delight  of  the  Fuji- 
sawas  and  their  visitors. 

In  the  centre  was  a pond  where  hundreds  of 
gold-fish  sported,  their  backs  now  and  again  re- 
flecting a ray  of  sunshine.  Near  the  house  a little 
stone  bridge  crossed  the  pond,  and  rocks  were 
scattered  picturesquely  along  its  banks.  At  in- 
tervals, on  the  water’s  edge,  were  stone  lanterns, 
in  which  lights  were  placed  on  festival  occasions. 
And  in  the  springtime  there  were  beds  of  iris, 
purple  and  white. 

All  through  the  grounds  were  artificial  hil- 
locks covered  with  azaleas,  and  in  one  corner  of 
the  garden  the  graceful  wistaria  hung  from  a lat- 
tice in  grape-like  clusters.  Grand  old  maples 
and  cedars  shadowed  all,  making  a home  for  in- 
numerable crows.  But  the  chief  ornaments  of 
the  garden,  to  Japanese  eyes,  were  the  cherry  and 


lO  KESA  AXD  SAIJIRO. 

peach  blooms,  which  now,  on  this  beautiful  May 
morning,  mingled  their  snowy  white  and  pale 
pink  in  charming  contrast.  It  was  amid  such 
surroundings  that  little  Kesa  came  into  the  world. 

The  five  girls  were  Tama,  which  means  Pre- 
cious Stone  ; Mitsu,  Honey  ; Chiye,  Wisdom  ; 
Hana,  Flower  ; and  now  the  baby  Kesa.  Tama 
was  ten  years  old  ; Mitsu,  seven  ; Chiye,  five  ; and 
Hana,  three. 

There  was  no  such  variety  of  complexion  and 
hair  among  them  as  is  common  in  American 
families.  They  all  had  dark  skins  and  black 
hair  and  eyes,  and  all  had  round,  rosy  cheeks, 
except  Hana,  who  had  always  been  delicate. 

Their  hair  was  dressed  according  to  their 
ages,  as  is  customary  with  Japanese  girls;  while 
the  baby  would  soon  have  to  submit  to  the  usual 
process  of  shaving,  which  is  rather  severe  on  the 
poor  little  tender  heads. 

Every  morning,  except  on  the  national  holi- 
days, the  faithful  Meguchi  took  Tama  and  Mitsu 
to  the  school  near  by,  where  they  spent  at  least 
five  hours  in  learning  how  to  read  and  write  and 
count  a little.  Their  books  were  those  which  the 
Japanese  think  suitable  for  their  girls,  “The  Wo- 
man’s Great  Learning,”  “The  One  Hundred 
Poems,”  and  some  of  the  sayings  of  Confucius. 
They  had  no  grammar  nor  geography  nor  history 
to  learn. 

The  girls  were  separated  from  the  boys.  The 


“alas!  master,  it  is  a daughter.”  II 

scholars  sat  on  the  floor,  held  their  brush-pens 
straight  in  their  hands,  dipped  them  in  India  ink, 
and  covered  the  soft  Japanese  paper  with  queer 
black  characters.  Then  the  copy-books  were 
hung  up  in  the  sun  to  dry.  The  children  carried 
their  noon  lunches  of  cold  rice,  radishes,  and  fish 
to  school  in  little  wooden  boxes  which  they  called 
bentos. 

The  street  down  which  the  Fujisawas  had  to 
pass  on  their  way  to  school  was  a quiet  one. 
They  went  by  the  old  yashiki.  This  is  an  inclos- 
ure with  the  daimio^sov  prince’s  house  in  the  cen- 
tre and  the  retainers’  dwellings  on  the  outside, 
looking  from  the  street  like  a wall  with  windows, 
or  rather  lattices,  for  the  Japanese  had  no  glass. 

Some  of  these  inclosures  are  very  beautiful, 
and  since  the  princes  have  ceased  to  occupy  them 
they  have  been  put  to  various  uses,  such  as  Gov- 
ernment schools,  soldiers’  barracks,  residences  for 
foreigners,  etc. 

In  one  of  the  outside  houses  of  the  yashiki 
lived  Aka,  a young  woman  whom  the  children 
knew.  Aka  often  cried  because  the  gods  had 
not  sent  her  a little  child.  She  went  almost  every 
day  to  the  temple  and  prayed,  clapping  her  hands 
and  calling  on  the  gods  to  hear  her.  Tama  and 
Mitsu  felt  sorry  for  her,  her  eyes  were  so  red 
and  her  face  was  so  sad.  Besides,  their  mother 
often  spoke  of  her  as  being  so  unfortunate,  and 
said  that  her  husband  would  soon  send  her  home 


12 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


and  get  another  wife,  to  whom  perhaps  the  gods 
would  grant  a little  son. 

At  one  of  the  windows  the  children  almost 
always  saw  an  old  lady,  bent  nearly  double, 
whom  they  called  “Baba”  (grandmother).  She 
always  smiled  and  spoke  pleasantly  to  them  as 
they  went  by.  There  were  also  two  girls  who 
were  taking  lessons  on  the  samisen^  and  Tama 
and  Mitsu  would  listen  to  the  music,  the  “tum- 
tum  ” of  the  Japanese  guitar. 

When  school  was  out  Meguchi  would  go  for 
the  little  girls,  and  sometimes  they  all  had  per- 
mission to  walk  to  a little  hill  from  which  they 
could  see  a short  distance  into  the  country  on  one 
side  and  in  another  direction  could  look  at' the 
white  sails  in  the  bay. 

They  always  stopped  at  a tea-house  to  get  a 
cup  of  tea  and  some  sweetmeats,  for  which  they 
gave  a few  copper  coins.  Chiye  usually  accom- 
panied them  on  such  occasions,  and  the  three 
little  girls  looked  so  pretty  and  behaved  so  nice- 
ly, bowed  so  civilly  and  answered  questions  so 
politely,  that  strangers  would  often  ask  who  they 
were.  Then  Meguchi  would  answer, 

“Truly,  thanks.  These  are  the  children  of 
my  master,  the  high  officer  Fujisawa.” 

And  if  any  one  asked  her  if  he  had  a son,  she 
would  shake  her  head  and  say, 

“Truly,  a misfortune;  no.” 

Then  a shadow  would  fall  for  a moment  over 


“alas!  master,  it  is  a daughter.”  13 

the  hearts  of  the  older  children.  It  was  indeed 
an  unfortunate  thing  that  they  were  not  boys. 
But  their  sadness  lasted  only  for  a moment,  and 
they  would  soon  be  playing  again  as  if  Japanese 
girls  were  of  just  as  much  value  as  boys. 

At  six  o’clock  the  children  were  expected  to 
be  at  home  to  meet  their  father,  who  returned 
about  that  time  from  the  custom-house. 

When  they  entered  the  house  they  would  go 
immediately  to  find  their  mother  and  say  to  her, 
“We  have  returned.”  And  when  the  servant 
announced  that  the  “master”  had  come,  they 
would  run  to  meet  him,  bowing  down  to  the 
ground  before  him. 

The  evening  meal  of  rice,  tea,  and  fish  fol- 
lowed the  father’s  return,  and  soon  after  that  the 
little  ones  would  all  be  asleep  on  their  stuffed 
futons^  or  mattresses,  their  heads  resting  on  wood- 
en pillows.  Thus  passed  day  after  day  in  the 
Fujisawa  household. 

But  now  a diversion  had  come — in  the  new 
little  sister,  who,  on  this  first  morning  of  her  life, 
lay  by  her  mother’s  side  fast  asleep.  She  knew 
not  yet  the  mother’s  face  nor  listened  for  her 
voice.  She  heeded  not  the  sunshine  nor  cared 
for  the  flowers.  But  she  was  strong  and  large, 
and  the  mother  looked  fondly  on  the  little  head 
covered  with  long,  soft  black  hair.  Her  gar- 
ments were  of  silk,  fashioned  after  the  same  pat- 
tern as  those  of  the  older  members  of  the  family. 


14 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Her  tiny  hands  were  almost  lost  in  the  wide 
sleeves.  Her  little  feet  .were  covered  by  the  long 
robe. 

The  morning  hours  passed  quietly  by.  Tama 
and  Mitsu  went  off  to  school.  Chiye  and  Hana 
played  together  in  the  garden.  The  baby  slept 
on. 

Afar  off  lay  the  Hakone  Mountains,  like  a soft 
cloud- blank  against  the  sky.  On  this  very  same 
morning  a little  child  on  those  mountains  wept 
bitterly  because  his  mother  gave  no  heed  to  his 
cries,  having  gone  into  that  unknown  land  of  the 
dead  which  Japanese  and  Americans  alike  have 
to  enter. 


YAMAMIDZU. 


THK  schoolmaster’s  BOY. 


15 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  schoolmaster’s  BOY. 

In  the  heart  of  the  Hakone  Mountains,  on  the 
banks  of  one  of  those  wild  rivers  which  come 
rushing  down  their  sides,  dashing  against  rocks 
and  leaping  over  precipices,  is  the  little  village, 
or  rather  hamlet,  of  Yamamidzu.  It  is  truly  in 
the  shadow  of  the  mountain,  for  the  sun  shines 
on  it  only  a few  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 
The  people,  looking  up,  can  see  only  a bit  of  sky 
directly  overhead.  On  both  sides  tower  the  cliffs, 
thickly  wooded  and  covered  with  a dense  under- 
growth of  bushes. 

The  village  itself  consists  of  a cluster  of  ten  or 
twelve  houses  on  one  side  of  the  river.  Among 
these  are  an  inn,  a temple,  and  a schoolhouse. 
The  hamlet  is  out  of  the  usual  line  of  travel  up 
the  Hakones,  and  there  is  consequently  but  little 
use  for  the  inn,  which  is  old  and  dilapidated. 

Just  below  Yamamidzu  the  foaming  torrent 
makes  a plunge  over  the  rocks  in  a beautiful  cas- 
cade. From  its  violence  you  would  think  that 
it  was  going  to  carry  everything  before  it;  but, 
to  your  surprise,  you  would  find  at  the  bottom  a 
calm  and  rather  shallow  pool,  whose  waters  flow 
underground  until  the  river  is  apparently  lost. 


i6 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


And  so  it  looked  on  the  day  when  little  Kesa 
came  to  her  father’s  beautiful  home  in  the  great 
“East  Capital.” 

Young  Yenoske,  the  son  of  the  innkeeper,  had 
a pack-horse,  the  only  one  in  the  village,  and 
occasionally  went  down  the  mountain  for  sup- 
plies.’ This  was  almost  the  only  communication 
which  the  villagers  had  with  the  outside  \vorld. 
But  they  loved  the  mountain  and  the  river  and 
were  proud  of  their  waterfall  and  the  still  pool, 
where  the  children  bathed  on  the  warm  summer 
days. 

At  one  end  of  the  village  a rude  bridge  cross- 
ed the  torrent.  It  was  a frail,  dangerous  struc- 
ture, without  a railing  and  with  no  supports.  It 
swayed  under  the  lightest  tread,  and  any  one  who 
trod  it  carelessly  was  in  danger  of  being  sudden- 
ly plunged  into  the  rapids  below. 

There  was  but  one  house  on  the  side  of  the 
stream  opposite  the  village,  and  this  was  a mis- 
erable shanty.  The  thatched  roof  scarcely  served 
to  keep  out  the  rain,  the  mats  were  old  and  worn, 
and  the  futons  ragged  and  thin.  In  one  room 
there  was  a chest  of  drawers,  in  another  a little 
Japanese  table  on  which  lay  the  customary  ink- 
stone.  Some  books  were  piled  up  in  a corner 
and  papers  were  scattered  around. 

Seated  on  the  floor  near  the  table,  liis  face 
buried  in  his  hands,  was  a man  about  thirty  years 
of  age.  He  seemed  feeble  in  body  and  disturbed 


THE  schoolmaster’s  BOY.  I 7 

in  mind,  and  now  and  again  moaned  and  rocked 
himself  to  and  fro.  The  man  was  Yetaro,  the 
village  schoolmaster.  Two  years  before  he  had 
come  to  Yamamidzu  with  his  wife  and  infant 
son.  Not  one  of  the  simple  inhabitants  of  the 
village  knew  whence  they  came,  and  at  first  all 
looked  upon  them  with  distrust.  Yetaro  built 
a small  house  away  from  all  the  other  houses  of 
the  village.  It  was  in  a wild,  lonely  place  on  the 
mountain-side  and  ever  in  the  deepest  shade. 

The  woman  was  frail  and  delicate.  Some 
even  said  that  she  was  possessed  of  the  fox,  ac- 
cording to  a strange  superstition  which  the  people 
entertain  concerninof  those  who  are  in  the  slio^ht- 
est  degfree  derang:ed.  The  voung  mother’s  sole 
pleasure  was  in  her  baby,  whom  she  carried  on 
her  back  long  after  the  strong,  healthy  boy  was 
too  heavy  a burden  for  one  so  weak  and  ailing. 
The  father  was  a scholar,  and  gathered  the  vil- 
lage children  into  a school.  But  the  pittance 
thus  gained  was  scarcely  enough  to  keep  his  fam- 
ily supplied  with  the  barest  necessaries  of  life. 
They  were  often  hungry  and  cold  and  shivered 
in  their  scanty  garments.  But  Saijiro,  the  baby, 
grew  strong  and  ruddy  and  was  happy  with  his 
mother,  riding  on  her  back  or  trotting  by  her  side 
the  livelong  day.  Of  the  silent  father  he  saw 
little. 

But  now  a great  change  had  come.  The  gen- 
tle Kochi  was  no  more.  All  the  morning  she 


Kes.-\  Hiiil  SaiJ'ro. 


i8 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


had  lain  on  her  wretched  bed  breathing  quietly, 
but  taking  no  notice  of  the  boy  she  loved  so  fond- 
ly. Every  now  and  then  he  stopped  his  play  to 
come  and  nestle  close  to  her  side.  He  would 
pass  his  hand  over  her  face  and  lisp,  Ka~ch an ^ 
ka-chan  ! I am  very  hungry,  ka-chan.  Wake  up 
and  give  me  some  rice.”  But  the  mother  did  not 
answer  him. 

The  village  doctor  sat  by  the  sick  woman’s 
side,  but  had  no  power  to  help  her.  A priest 
came  over  from  the  village  and  mumbled  his 
prayers,  but  Kochi  did  not  seem  to  hear  him. 
An  old  baba^  the  only  person  on  whom  Yetaro 
would  call  for  help,  from  time  to  time  adminis- 
tered nourishment.  Yetaro  sat  for  hours  by  the 
table,  never  looking  up  and  not  speaking  a 
word. 

At  ten  o’clock  the  end  had  come.  The  doc- 
tor went  back  to  the  village.  Saijiro  came  in 
once  more  to  speak  to  his  mother,  but  no  one 
paid  any  attention  to  him,  and  he  went  crying 
from  the  house.  He  was  a slurJy  little  fellow  of 
three  years,  with  bright  black  eyes  and  round 
rosy  cheeks.  The  officer  Fujisawa  would  have 
given  half  his  wealth  and  influence  to  possess 
him;  and  Aka’s  tears  would  have  been  dried 
could  she  have  called  him,  even  in  his  rags  and 
dirt,  her  own. 

Poor  little  Saijiro  ! He  trotted  away  from 
the  house  down  to  a corner  of  the  garden  where 


THE  schoolmaster’s  BOY.  dg 

there  was  an  altar  to  the  fox-god,  Inari.  He  was 
hungry  and  lonely,  and  no  one  listened  to  his 
cries.  Something  was  the  matter  with  ka-chan; 
she  heeded  him  not.  So  he  lay  sobbing  under 
the  shadow  of  the  mountain,  until  his  quick  ear 
caught  the  sound  of  rapidly  approaching  foot- 
steps. He  looked  up  to  see  a boy  of  fifteen  com- 
ing towards  him.  In  an  instant  the  child  was  on 
his  feet,  running  with  outstretched  arms  to  meet 
his  friend,  who  stooped  to  take  him  on  his  back. 

‘‘Why  do  you  cry,  Saiji?”  asked  the  new- 
comer. 

“I  am  hungry,  Yenoske,  and  the  honorable 
father  is  sad  and  the  honorable  mother  gives  me 
no  rice.  When  will  the  mother  wake  up,  Ye- 
chan,  and  cook  the  rice?” 

‘‘The  honorable  mother  is  dead  and  finished, 
Saiji,  but  Baba  and  I will  take  care  of  you  and 
give  you  rice.  See  ! I have  brought  you  beans. 
We  will  go  up  on  the  mountain  and  gather 
flowers  to  lay  on  the  mother’s  coffin.” 

The  hungry  child  ravenously  ate  the  sweet- 
ened beans.  Then,  with  his  hand  clasped 'in 
Yenoske’s,  he  bravely  climbed  the  mountain- 
side, looking  for  flowers  and  screaming  with  de- 
light when  he  could  point  one  out  to  his  friend. 
Yenoske  gathered  them  for  him  until  they  could 
carry  no  more.  The  snow  had  scarcely  melted 
on  the  Hakones.  There  were  still  white  patches 
here  and  there.  But  in  sheltered  places  lovely 


::0  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

flowers  grew,  and  the  trees  were  beautiful  in 
their  fresh  green  dress.  Saijiro  chatted  merrily 
to  Yenoske  and  was  as  happy  as  the  birds  twit- 
tering in  the  branches  above  him. 

In  the  little  house  below  lay  the  dead  mother, 
and  the  father  sat  overwhelmed  with  grief. 

Before  Saijiro,  and  before  the  little  Kesa  in 
Tokio,  stretched  a long  and  untried  path.  Old 
Japan  was  passing  away,  and  the  new  generation 
would  find  much  to  trouble  and  perplex  them> 
But  the  baby  slept  on,  and  Saijiro  knew  nothing 
of  pain  or  care.  He  felt  safe  with  Yenoske  and 
he  loved  the  mountain.  Its  towering  sides  had 
grown  as  familiar  to  him  as  the  faces  of  father 
and  mother.  When  the  mountain  smiled  with 
sunshine  and  held  out  flowers  for  him  to  gather, 
he  rejoiced.  When  the  mountain  was  sad  and 
sent  rain  like  his  mother’s  tears  down  over  the 
little  house,  he  often  wept  in  sympathy.  When 
once  upon  a time  he  had  seen  it  all  white  and 
glittering  with  snow,  he  had  clapped  his  hands 
and  danced  for  joy  and  called  ka-chan  to  come 
and  see  it  too. 

It  is  not  often  that  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Hakones  is  covered  with  snow.  The  western 
exposures  are  much  colder.  On  the  eastern  side 
are  hot  springs,  which  are  a resort  for  invalids 
even  in  winter. 

On  this  May  day  everything  was  lovely,  and 
it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  Yenoske  and 


THE  schoolmaster’s  BOY. 


21 


Saijiro  went  back  to  the  home  where  the  dead 
mother  lay. 

Old  Baba  had  prepared  the  body  for  burial. 
The  priest  had  shaved  poor  Kochi’s  head;  for  the 
people  believe  that  the  departed  become  priests, 
and  must  enter  the  realm  of  the  dead  with  shaven 
heads.  Kochi  was  dressed  in  her  wedding  gar- 
ments, and  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day  the 
square,  box-like  coffin  in  which  the  body  was 
seated  was  carried  to  the  temple.  The  priests 
chanted  a solemn  dirge  over  it.  Then  they  bore 
it  to  the  Buddhist  cemetery  and  laid  it  in  the 
ground. 

The  little  son  looked  on  and  wondered  what 
it  all  meant. 


22 


XKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  III. 

NEW  JAPAN. 

In  the  summer  of  1868,  while  Kesa  was  only 
a few  weeks  old,  a great  battle  took  place  in 
Tokioj  or  Yedo,  as  the  city  was  then  called.  It 
was  fought  at  the  beautiful  temple  inclosure 
Uyeno.  The  adherents  of  the  Tycoon,  who  had 
been  declared  a usurper,  met  .the  Mikado’s  troops. 
The  former  were  defeated,  and  the  Tycoon  soon 
retired  from  Yedo  into  private  life  in  the  old  cas- 
tle at  Shidzuoka;  while  the  Mikado  removed  his 
court  from  Kioto  to  Yedo,  and  changed  that  city’s 
name  to  Tokio,  which  means  the  “eastern  capi- 
tal.” 

Tama,  Mitsu,  Chiye,  and  Hana  heard  from 
their  house  in  the  Kudan  the  noise  of  the  battle, 
and  were  much  frightened.  But  the  baby  Kesa 
knew  no  fear. 

Do  you  ask  how  there  came  to  be  two  rival 
rulers  in  Japan  ? Will  you  listen  to  a little  story  ? 

The  history  of  Japan  begins  with  a man  called 
Jimmu,  660  years  B.  C.  He  was  the  sole  emper- 
or, and  founded  the  sovereignty  of  the  IMikados, 
who  held  their  court  at  Kioto.  Almost  divine 
honors  were  paid  to  the  IMikado,  but  in  the  course 
of  a few  centuries  his  real  power  was  much  re- 


/ ftke  and  M^nhants 


4 


■ 'i 

■ i 


, 3 


NKW  JAPAN. 


23 


duced  by  the  rise  of  a military  supremacy^  exer- 
cised alternately  by  two  rival  clans,  who  were 
frequently  at  war  with  one  another.  In  1180  the 
reigning  Mikado  was  forced  by  Kiyomori,  the 
chieftain  of  the  clan  then  in  power,  to  abdicate  in 
favor  of  his  son,  a child  of  three  years,  while  Ki- 
yoinori,  the  boy’s  maternal  grandfather,  himself 
became  regent.  After  Kiyomori’s  death,  a year 
later,  Yoritomo,  the  leader  of  the  rival  clan,  es- 
tablished his  supremacy  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Kamakura.  In  1192  the  then  reigning 
Mikado  appointed  him  Shogun,  or  military  “ com- 
mander-in-chief  ” of  the  empire — the  office  to 
which  the  title  of  “ Tycoon”  has  been  commonly 
but  erroneously  applied. 

Thus  the  Mikado  continued  to  be  a sort  of 
puppet,  to  whom  great  honors  were  paid,  while 
the  Shogun,  or  sometimes  the  Shogun’s  regent, 
was  the  real  ruler  of  the  empire  and  the  leader  of 
the  armies. 

Near  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century  a fa- 
mous general  named  Hideyoshi  acquired  the 
chief  military  power,  though  he  was  never  ap- 
pointed to  the  office  of  Shogun.  All  Japanese 
children  are  acquainted  with  the  stories  of  Yori- 
tomo and  Hideyoshi,  the  latter  being  better 
known  as  Taykosama,  a title  which  means  “my 
lord,  the  great  lord.”  A few  years  after  the  death 
of  Hideyoshi,  which  occurred  in  1594,  one  of  his 
generals,  named  Tokugawa  lyeyasu,  was  appoint- 


24 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


ed  Shogun  by  the  Mikado  and  hel'd  his  court  at 
Yedo.  That  city  continued  to  be  the  residence 
of  the  succeeding  Shoguns,  all  of  whom  were  of 
the  Tokugawa  dynasty,  until  the  revolution  of 
1868  put  an  end  to  the  office. 

Early  in  the  sixteenth  century  some  Portu- 
guese traders  came  to  Japan.  These  traders  were 
soon  followed  by  Roman-catholic  missionaries. 
They  were  Jesuits,  and  at  their  head  was  a man 
known  through  all  the  Christian  world,  Francis 
Xavier  by  name. 

It  is  said  that  these  first  missionaries  to  Japan, 
though  not  free  from  the  errors  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  were  pious  and  self-denying  men  who  la- 
bored faithfully  among  the  Japanese.  They 
gained  many  converts,  and  were  loved  by  the 
people,  whom  they  loved  in  return.  But  after 
Francis  Xavier  was  dead,  changes  took  place. 
Other  representatives  of  the  Romish  Church  came 
over,  and  they  quarrelled  among  themselves. 

What  the  Japanese  thought  of  this  we  cannot 
tell.  But  at  last  the  Portuguese  formed  a con- 
spiracy against  the  Government,  which  was  dis- 
covered, and  they  were  driven  out  of  the  country. 
Then  a terrible  persecution  of  Japanese  Christians 
took  place.  The  converts  were  brave  and  patient, 
and  many  preferred  a terrible  death  to  giving  up 
their  faith. 

The  next  people  who  had  commercial  rela- 
tions with  Japan  were  the  Dutch.  On  the  24th 


NEW  JAPAN. 


25 


of  June,  1598,  'there  sailed  from  Holland  a Dutch 
ship  with  an  English  pilot  on  board.  This 
pilot’s  name  was  William  Adams.  The  crew  had 
a terrible  voyage.  Adverse  winds  drove  them 
hither  and  thither  and  sickness  broke  out  among 
them.  At  last  they  were  driven  on  the  shores  of 
Japan,  where  they  were  kindly  received.  But 
after  waiting  nearly  two  years  for  the  decision  of 
the  Shogun  concerning  them,  they  were  informed 
that  they  could  not  have  their  ship  any  more,  and 
that  they  must  make  up  their  minds  to  spend  the 
rest  of  their  days  “happily  and  peacefully  in 
Japan.’’ 

The  Dutchmen  scattered  themselves  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  island,  while  Adams  went  to  the 
Shogun’s  court  at  Yedo,  where  he  became  a fa- 
vorite, had  a fine  salary,  and  rose  to  “high  distinc- 
tion.’’ But  he  was  very  sad  during  his  long  so- 
journ in  Japan.  He  had  left  a wife  and  children 
in  England,  and  was  never  permitted  to  see  them 
again.  He  tried  several  times  to  send  letters,  but 
whether  they  were  ever  received  or  not  no  one 
knows. 

The  Dutch  and  Portuguese  were  together  in 
Japan  for  a time.  At  length,  as  we  have  learned, 
the  Portuguese  were  expelled  from  the  country. 
We  learn  from  reliable  sources  that  the  Dutch 
assisted  the  Japanese  in  their  persecution  of  the 
native  Christians.  This  is  a great  blot  on  the 
record  of  the  Dutch  in  Japan,  although  some 


26 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


writers  try  to  excuse  them.  One  of  their  own 
number  says,  “The  Japanese  both  hated  and  de- 
spised us  for  what  we  had  done.” 

In  1641  the  Dutch  were  ordered  to  Nagasaki, 
and  were  confined  in  Deshima,  a little  island  in 
the  harbor.  Here  they  submitted,  for  the  sake  of 
trade,  to  the  most  terrible  humiliations.  They 
were  scarcely  allowed  to  hold  divine  service  on 
Sundays.  They  had  “to  leave  off  praying  and 
singing  in  public  and  to  avoid  the  sign  of  the 
cross.”  All  of  the  Japanese  officials  connected 
with  the  Dutch  factory  were  obliged  to  “trample 
upon  the  cross.” 

The  Dutchmen  were  constantly  watched.  Oc- 
casionally they  were  allowed  to  take  a walk  into 
the  country,  but  were  always  surrounded  by  spies. 
The  principal  men  of  the  factory  had  to  make 
journeys  to  Yedo  to  visit  the  Shogun.  During 
these  trips  they  gained  some  knowledge  of  the 
country.  Deshima,  although  called  an  island, 
is  in  reality  separated  from  the  city  of  Naga- 
saki by  a canal;  it  is  scarcely  more  of  an  isl- 
and than  the  Foreign  Concession  at  Tokio.  The 
scenery  by  which  the  Dutchmen  were  surround- 
ed was  very  beautiful.  High  hills  encircle  the 
land-locked  harbor  and  the  verdure  is  almost 
tropical. 

England  and  Russia  made  attempts  to  trade 
with  Japan,  but  were  unsuccessful.  The  law 
was  fixed  and  unalterable.  No  foreigner,  and  no 


XKW  JAPAN. 


27 


Japanese  who  had  been  away  from  his  own  coun- 
try, should  ever  step  upon  its  shores  again.  And 
this  law  was  in  operation  for  two  hundred  years. 

It  was  in  the  year  1852  that  a squadron  was 
fitted  out  by.  the  United  States  Government  for 
the  purpose  of  visiting  Japan  and  establishing 
commercial  relations  with  that  long  shut-up 
country.  The  expedition  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  Com.  Matthew  S.  Perry,  and  every 
American  boy  and  girl  ought  to  know  about  it. 

The  Mexican  war  had  closed.  California  had 
become  a part  of  the  United  States.  The  mag- 
nificent harbor  of  San  Francisco  was  now  ready 
for  the  commerce  of  the  Orient.  The  Golden 
Gate  was  open  to  the  trade  of  China  and  India. 
Naturally  all  eyes  were  turned  towards  Japan 
as  a country  on  the  great  highway  between  the 
Occident  and  the  Orient. 

For  a little  more  than  two  hundred  years, 
from  1641  to  1852,  Japan  had  been  shut  up. 
There  had  been  no  intercourse  with  any  other  na- 
tion except  the  limited  trade  carried  on  with  the 
Dutch.  No  one  had  gone  out  of  the  country  or 
come  into  it.  Two  hundred  years  ! Think  of 
what  our  country  was  only  one  hundred  years 
ago,  and  perhaps  you  can  form  some  idea  of  the 
stationary  condition  of  Japan. 

But  on  the  24th  of  November,  of  the  year 
1852,  Com.  Perry  sailed  from  Norfolk,  Virginia, 
on  the  steamship  “Missouri,”  commissioned  to 


28 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


arrange  a treaty  with  Japan.  He  carried  a letter 
from  the  President  to  the  Emperor.  His  orders 
were  to  deliver  the  letter  to  the  proper  authori- 
ties and  to  demand  an  answer. 

The  story  of  the  squadron’s  progress  around 
the  world  would  be  well  worth  reading.  They 
stopped  at  many  ports  and  saw  many  wonderful 
things.  On  the  morning  of  July  7,  1853,  they  first 
came  in  sight  of  Japan.  Those  of  us  who  also 
have  seen  Japan  for  the  first  time  on  a summer 
morning  know  how  those  lovely  shores  must  have 
looked  to  the  ships’  crews  as  they  steamed  slowly 
up  the  coast.  At  first  the  land  was  only  dimly 
visible  through  the  mist.  Then  as  the  sun  rose 
higher  and  higher,  dissipating  the  fogs,  Japan 
stood  revealed  with  her  wooded  hills,  her  green 
shores,  her  river  flowing  down  to  the  sea,  her  lit- 
tle villages  nestling  under  the  cliffs  and  scattered 
along  the  water’s  edge. 

We  can  imagine  the  consternation  of  the  fish- 
ermen out  in  their  junks  when  the  steamers 'be- 
came visible,  the  hurrying  and  scurrying  of  peo- 
ple upon  the  shore.  Then  what  ridiculous  means 
they  employed  to  keep  the  foreigners  from  seeing 
them,  stretching  cloths  before  the  towns ! They 
were  curious,  nevertheless.  Men,  women,  and 
children  climbed  the  hills  to  gaze  at  the  strangers. 
Bells  were  rung,  guns  were  fired,  and  beacon-fires 
were  lighted  along  the  shores.  A general  sur- 
prise and  alarm  prevailed  throughout  the  empire. 


np:w  japan. 


29 


So  far  as  etiquette  was  concerned  Com.  Perry 
met  the  Japanese  upon  their  own  ground.  He  let 
them  see  that  he  was  a commissioner  from  a ruler 
of  dignity  and  power.  After  a great  many  vexa- 
tious delays  the  first  interview  with  the  Japanese 
authorities  was  granted,  and  the  President’s  letter 
was  delivered.  An  exchange  of  hospitalities  hav- 
ing been  made,  the  fleet  left  Japan  with  the  un^ 
derstanding  that  the  Commodore  was  to  come 
again  in  the  winter  for  the  Emperor’s  answer. 

Accordingly,  in  February  of  the  next  year  he 
returned,  and  the  treaty  was  concluded  without 
war  or  bloodshed.  Thus  did  Com.  Perry  succeed 
in  opening  the  gates  of  Japan. 

Other  nations  were  not  long  in  making  similar 
treaties,  and  foreigners  flocked  into  Japan.  It 
was  during  this  period  that  the  title  of  “Ty- 
coon ” originated.  It  was  really  with  the  minis- 
ters of  the  Shogun  at  Yedo  that  these  first  treaties 
were  made,  under  the  impression  on  the  part  of 
the  foreign  Powers  that  he  was  the  actual  Em- 
peror of  Japan;  and  the  ministers  of  the  Shogun 
called  him  the  Taikiin^  that  is,  “ great  ruler.”  It 
was  not  until  1868  that  his  true  position  became 
known  and  that  the  Mikado’s  ratification  of  the 
treaties  made  with  the  Shogun  or  “Tycoon”  was 
obtained. 

In  1868  a great  revolution  took  place.  This 
was  just  about  the  time  when  our  story  begins. 
Kesa  was  a mere  infant  and  Saijiro  a toddler  of 


30 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


three  years.  The  “Tycoon’s”  troops  fought 
with  the  Mikado’s  troops.  The  former  were  de- 
feated, and  the  “Tycoon”  retired  into  private 
life.  So  there  is  now  but  one  ruler  in  Japan. 
You  see  that  while  Kesa  and  Saijiro  were  yet 
small  children  momentous  changes  were  taking 
place  in  the  empire.  God  had,  indeed,  great 
things  in  store  for  them. 

No  shadow  of  anxiety,  however,  or  forecast  of 
trials  to  come,  had  power  over  the  brightness  of 
their  baby  lives.  Little  Kesa  learned  how  to  use 
her  eyes,  looking  at  first  wonderingly  at  the  sun- 
beams, the  gay  flowers,  the  pretty  colored  balls 
which  are  given  to  Japanese  babies  to  play  with. 

Dressed  gorgeously  in  silk  and  crape,  she  was 
taken  to  the  temple  and  had  her  name  recorded 
there  as  a member  of  the  Fujisawa  family.  She 
learned  how  to  stretch  out  her  hands  for  things, 
how  to  cry  when  she  did  not  get  what  she  want- 
ed, how  to  creep,  to  stand,  to  walk. 

She  had  her  first  little  sandals,  then  her  wood- 
en clogs;  had  some  falls  in  learning  how  to  use 
them;  was  taught  how  to  step  out  of  her  shoes  at 
the  door  and  how  to  make  a bow.  She  learned, 
also,  to  lisp  in  baby  fashion  the  soft,  sweet  words 
of  the  Japanese  language.  Kesa  was  an  active, 
healthy  child,  a great  contrast  to  the  peevish, 
weak  little  Hana.  The  tiny  bell  which  she  wore 
at  her  waist  would  be  heard  now  in  one  corner  of 
the  garden,  now  in  another,  as  she  trotted  hap- 


NEW  JAPAN. 


31 

pily  from  place  to  place.  Often  was  the  mother’s 
heart  relieved  by  the  tinkle  of  that  little  bell 
when  the  child  would  be  missed  for  a few  mo- 
ments. 

One  day  when  Kesa  was  about  two  years  old 
the  whole  family,  except  Fujisawa  himself,  were 
going  up  to  the  temple.  It  was  a Buddhist  tem- 
ple with  the  usual  ioriye^  or  bird-rest,  in  front.  A 
flagged  walk  led  up  to  the  steps,  and  on  each  side 
of  this  walk  were  shops  where  the  children  could 
buy  toys.  Within  the  temple  inclosure  there  was 
an  image  of  a horse,  and  a tree  in  which  a sacred 
snake  was  said  to  dwell. 

The  children  gave  some  money  to  a man  to 
have  him  free  a number  of  caged  birds.  This  is 
one  of  the  acts  of  Buddhist  worship.  Within  the 
temple  were  idols.  Some  of  these  were  hideous 
and  frightened  the  children;  others  had  beautiful 
faces,  on  which  they  loved  to  look.  Even  little 
Kesa  was  taught  her  prayers,  although  she  could 
not  at  all  understand  them,  but  she  clapped  and 
rubbed  her  hands,  made  her  bows,  and  repeated 
the  same  words  as  the  others. 

This  particular  day  was  a festival.  One  of  the 
gods  was  taken  out  in  a gorgeous  car.  Those 
who  were  carrying  him  shouted  and  rocked  the 
car  violently,  becoming  much  excited.  There 
were  many  people  in  the  street,  and  most  of  them 
had  flowers.  On  the  way  the  Fujisawas  met  Aka 
carrying  a great  wooden  doll  dressed  in  silk  and 


32 


KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


crape.  She  looked  very  happy,  and  she  told 
them  why:  she  and  her  husband  were  going  to 
adopt  a beautiful  boy,  the  son  of  a relative.  In 
the  meantime  she  consoled  herself  by  dressing 
and  caring  for  the  doll.  Soon  the  empty  heart 
and  home  would  be  filled.  No  wonder  Aka’s 
face  was  bright  with  smiles.  The  children  ad- 
mired the  doll  and  rejoiced  with  Aka.  The 
young  woman  went  on  towards  her  home,  and 
then  something  happened  which  the  little  Fuji- 
sawas  remembered  for  many  and  many  a day. 

They  had  often  heard  of  the  foreigners  who 
had  made  their  way  into  the  country,  and  they 
had  listened  to  the  story  of  those  days  when  Com. 
Perry  was  at  anchor  in  Yedo  Bay,  when  beacon- 
fires  were  lighted,  guns  discharged,  and  bells 
tolled,  as  danger  signals  throughout  the  country. 
That  was  seventeen  years  before  the  time  of  which 
we  are  writing,  and  a number  of  foreigners  had 
come  to  Japan  since  then.  But  the  officer  Fuji- 
sawa’s wife  and  children,  living  in  a secluded 
way  near  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  had  never  seen 
any  of  these  strange  people  of  the  Western  Conti- 
nent. They  knew  that  Fujisawa  himself  had 
dealings  with  them  at  the  custom-house,  and  that 
their  sojourn  in  the  city  was  a source  of  much 
perplexity  to  him  and  the  cause  of  endless  dis- 
cussions in  the  little  circle  which  assembled  in 
the  garden  or  in  the  upper  room. 

The  children’s  secret  curiosity  to  see  the  stran- 


NF.W  JAPAN. 


33 


gers  was  this  afternoon  to  be  gratified.  As  they 
were  walking  slowly  along  they  heard  the  “ Hai, 
hai  !”  of  a runner,  and  immediately  a pony-car- 
riage passed,  in  which  were  a gentleman,  a lady, 
and  a little  child.  The  group  of  sisters  pressed 
closely  to  their  mother  and  Meguchi,  a trifle 
alarmed,  yet  interested  in  the  lady  and  the  fair, 
blue-eyed  baby.  The  lady  looked  kindly  at  them 
and  smiled  on  Kesa,  who  lifted  her  bright  face 
but  for  an  instant,  then  hid  it  in  her  mother’s 
dress.  It  was  but  a flashing  interchange  of  glan- 
ces, and  all  passed  on  their  different  ways.  But 
in  the  coming  years  they  were  to  meet  again  and 
again. 


Kesa  anil  Saljiro. 


3 


34 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A MIDSUMMER  DAY. 

The  midsummer  day  was  warm  in  Yamamid- 
zu.  It  seemed  as  if  every  breath  of  air  was  shut 
out  by  the  steep  hillsides.  The  people  sat  in  the 
street  by  the  river  and  used  their  fans.  The 
horse  could  not  discover  a cool  place  in  which  to 
stand,  and  found  switching  his  tail  to  keep  off  the 
flies  rather  violent  exercise.  The  dogs  panted 
with  heat,  and  went  often  to  lap  the  cool  water  of 
the  river. 

At  one  end  of  the  village,  in  the  little  school- 
house,  stood  Yetaro,  the  master,  reading  in  a loud 
tone  some  of  the  maxims  of  Confucius.  The  chil- 
dren liked  to  hear  also  of  Confucius,  or  Kong- 
foo-tse,  himself.  He  was  born  in  the  province  of 
Loo,  China,  about  550  years  before  Christ.  He 
was  a wise  and  serious  child,  continually  surpri- 
sing his  parents  and  grandparents  by  his  remarks. 
Twice  in  his  life,  after  deservedly  occupying  a 
high  position,  he  was  driven  out  of  his  native 
province.  For  twelve  years  he  wandered  about 
au  exile,  often  hunted  and  harassed.  The  last 
flve  years  of  his  life  were  happy  and  peaceful, 
passed  in  a pleasant  valley,  with  friends  around 
him.  The  literary  work  which  he  did  has  been 


YETARO’S  SCHOOL. 


A MIDSUMMER  DAY. 


35 


of  great  service  to  China,  and  his  books  are  stud- 
ied to  this  day  in  all  of  the  schools.  The  teach- 
ings of  Confucius  in  many  respects  are  very  good, 
but  they  do  not  recognize  any  Supreme  Being. 
They  inculcate  reverence  towards  parents  and  an- 
cestors. Obedience  is  taught,  and  everything  is 
to  be  done  “decently  and  in  order;’’  but  no 
remedy  is  provided  for  the  power  and  curse  of  sin. 

The  Yamamidzu  scholars,  a few  mountain 
girls  and  boys,  strove  to  imitate  Yetaro’s  reading, 
teacher  and  scholars  screaming  at  the  top  of  their 
voices.  The  stick  which  Yetaro  held  in  his  hand 
was  more  for  the  purpose  of  emphasizing  his 
words  than  for  the  punishment  of  the  pupils,  who 
were  docile  and  obedient  enough  and  did  their 
best  to  learn  what  was  set  before  them.  But  do 
you  think  that  on  such  days  even  a Japanese  boy 
will  not  sometimes  cast  a glance  out  of  the  open 
slides  and  look  with  envy  on  the  bees  and  flies 
and  free  little  birds  in  the  tree-tops?  or  that  a 
vision  of  cool  clear  water  does  not  flit  across  his 
mind’s  eye,  and  that  he  is  not  pleased  when  the 
hour  for  dismissal  comes  ? 

It  was  a poor  little  place,  that  schoolhouse. 
The  roof  was  thatched  and  in  some  parts  moss- 
grown,  and  it  leaked  when  the  heavy  rains  came 
pouring  over  the  mountains.  The  matting  was 
yellow  with  age  and  soiled  and  worn. 

In  a corner  of  the  room  Saijiro,  now  a little 
round-faced,  rosy-cheeked  boy  of  five  years,  clad 


3^ 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


in  a simple  white  garment,  his  chubby  brown 
hands  clasping  some  lilies,  lay  asleep.  What  lit- 
tle wind  there  was  just  stirred  the  damp,  dark 
locks  that  fell  on  his  forehead.  The  little  mo- 
therless boy  had  become  the  pet  and  pride  of  the 
villagers,  who  prophesied  that  he  would  be  a 
scholar  and  fill  his  father’s  place  in  the  school. 

And  now  it  was  time  to  dismiss  school  for  the 
day.  Yetaro  laid  down  his  stick  and  gave  the 
scholars  permission  to  go.  They  made  their  bows 
and  passed  out,  singing  and  shouting  as  they 
went  down  the  street.  But  the  big  boy,  Yenoske, 
remained.  Going  up  to  where  the  little  one  lay 
sleeping,  and  shaking  him  gently,  he  said, 

“Up,  up,  Saiji  ! School  is  out.  We  are  go- 
ing home.” 

The  child  opened  his  almond-shaped  eyes, 
rubbed  them,  stood  up,  and  then,  as  if  suddenly 
recovering  his  senses,  leaped  lightly  on  Yenoske’s 
back.  Thus  he  was  carried  rapidly  through  the 
village,  and  was  soon  on  the  frail  bridge  which 
crossed  the  river.  Saijiro  was  used  to  it,  and 
never  trembled  as  the  frail  structure  swayed  to 
and  fro  under  Yenoske’s  firm  tread,  while  the  tor- 
rent boiled  and  hissed  below. 

Yetaro  followed  them  down  the  street,  saw 
them  safely  over  the  bridge,  and  then  turned  in  at 
the  temple  gate.  He  remained  some  time  at  his 
devotions,  repeating  one  prayer  over  and  over 
again.  Yenoske  knew  his  habits;  so  when  he 


A MIDSUMMER  DAY. 


37 


had  reached  the  one  house  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  he  set  Saijiro  down  on  the  little  veranda 
and  took  his  place  beside  him. 

“I  am  going  down  the  mountain  to-morrow, 
Saiji,”  he  said. 

The  child  looked  sorry,  for  these  two  were  in- 
separable friends,  and  the  little  one  was  lonely 
with  only  his  quiet  father  for  a companion.  “ In 
how  many  days  will  you  return,  Yechan?”  he 
asked. 

“In  three  days,”  Yenoske  answered.  “And 
I will  bring  you  something,  Saiji — new  shoes  and 
candies.  I will  tell  you,  too,  of  everything  I see. 
Some  day,  when  you  are  big  enough,  you  shall  go 
with  me,  Saichan.” 

“Will  it  be  very  long  before  I am  big  enough, 
Yenoske  ?” 

“Oh,  a long  time,  Saiji.  You  must  learn 
how  to  read  and  write  and  count.” 

“I  shall  soon  learn,  Yenoske.  I am  five 
years  old.” 

Thus  the  two  friends,  big  and  little,  talked 
until  Yetaro  was  seen  coming  up  the  walk.  Ye- 
noske rose  to  make  his  bow,  and  Saijiro  too  salu- 
ted his  father. 

Politeness  is  so  bred  in  the  Japanese  character 
that  the  poorest  and  humblest  have  manners  that 
would  grace  an  English  drawing-room. 

The  villagers  did  not  know  exactly  what  to 
make  of  the  sensei^  or  teacher.  He  was  proud  of 


38 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


his  boy,  but  seemed  to  care  little  for  his  society, 
and  left  him  to  the  tender  mercy  of  others  so  far 
as  pleasure  and  companionship  were  concerned. 
The  Ya'mamidzu  people  said  that  the  sensei  was 
under  a vow.  When  out  of  school  he  passed 
much  of  his  time  in  the  temple,  prostrate  before 
the  idols  or  pacing  up  and  down  the  stone  walk. 
Many  were  his  ablutions,  his  washings  of  head, 
hands,  and  feet.  Many  an  hour  did  he  spend  in 
calling  upon  the  gods.  Sometimes  he  would  dis- 
miss school  for  a few  weeks  and  go  off  to  some 
shrine,  walking  until  his  feet  were  blistered  and 
his  bones  ached,  going  over  mountains,  fording 
streams,  in  sunshine  and  storm,  heeding  neither 
flood  nor  tempest. 

At  such  times  Saijiro  would  be  left  to  the  care 
of  a village  “Baba,”  as  pleasant  and  cheery  an 
old  body  as  the  one  in  \X\^yashiki  near  Fujisawa’s 
house.  The  little  one  liked  the  change,  for  he 
could  play  with  the  village  children,  while  “Ba- 
ba” was  tender  and  kind  to  the  motherless  boy. 
But  his  love  for  Yenoske  was  the  strongest  pas- 
sion of  his  little  heart,  and  Yenoske’s  devotion  to 
him  was  unbounded. 

Do  the  Japanese  ever  seem  very  strange  to 
you  and  like  the  inhabitants  of  another  world? 
Do  you  think  they  have  not  their  chosen  friends, 
their  heart-loves,  their  joys  and  sorrows,  their 
smiles  and  tears,  just  as  you  have?  It  seemed  so 
to  some  of  us  at  first,  before  we  came  to  know 


A MIDSUMMER  DAY. 


39 


them  as  well  as  we  do  now.  We  have  long  since 
learned  that  all  the  races  of  the  human  family  are 
nearly  related,  and  that  the  human  heart  is  the 
same  in  all  countries  and  ages. 

The  next  dearest  friend  to  little  Saijiro  was  a 
dog,  Ts’koi  by  name,  which  Yenoske  had  rescued 
from  some  cruel  fate  and  given  to  him.  Ts’koi 
was  not  by  any  means  a handsome  dog;  he  look- 
ed very  much  like  a wolf;  but  he  was  faithful 
and  fond  of  his  little  master. 

But  the  sensei  had  come  home;  so  Yenoske 
went  back  to  the  village  to  prepare  for  his  trip  to 
the  great  town  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain. 

Yetaro  made  tea  for  himself  and  the  boy, 
pouring  it  over  some  cold  rice.  Saijiro  could  use 
his  chop-sticks  as  fast  as  any  one,  and  soon  emp- 
tied his  bowl.  The  night  came  on.  Saijiro  lay 
down  on  his  little  futon^  with  Ts’koi  beside  him. 
Boy  and  dog  were  soon  fast  asleep.  Yetaro 
lighted  a tallow  candle  and  bent  over  his  Buddh- 
ist books,  trying  to  find  some  light  and  comfort 
for  his  darkened,  sin-burdened  heart.  The  moon 
climbed  high  in  the  sky,  peeping  over  the  house 
and  over  all  Yamamidzu.  The  river  was  golden 
under  the  yellow  light. 

The  villagers  sat  outside  their  houses,  some 
talking,  some  listening  to  the  singing  and  playing 
of  three  blind  musicians.  The  occasional  cry  of 
the  Japanese  nightingale,  which  hides  in  the 
thickest  shades  of  the  wood,  was  heard.  The 


40 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


river  rushed  and  roared.  It  was  night  on  the 
Hakones.  A little  later,  every  one  was  asleep 
under  the  dark  green  mosquito  nets,  with  the 
slides  all  shut.  It  would  have  been  almost  im- 
possible to  rouse  any  one,  even  if  you  had  wished 
to  do  so. 

It  is  hard  to  realize  how  poor  these  mountain- 
eers are.  No  cows  are  on  the  mountain  waiting 
to  be  milked;  there  are  no  full  larders,  no  fields 
of  waving  grain.  The  people  on  the  Hakones 
depend  for  their  supplies  mostly  upon  what  can 
be  brought  on  pack-horses  from  the  towns  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain.  They  make  cups,  bowls, 
and  other  articles  from  the  beautiful  woods  which 
they  find  around  them,  and  give  these  in  ex- 
change for  dry-goods  and  rice.  The  charcoal 
business  is  also  carried  on  by  the  mountaineers. 

As  for  their  housekeeping,  it  is  very  simple. 
Rice  is  cooked  when  it  is  wanted,  and  daikons^ 
large  radishes,  are  pickled  for  family  use.  There 
is  no  furniture  beside  the  cooking  utensils  and  oc- 
casionally a table  and  a chest  of  drawers.  A few 
fish  are  caught  in  the  streams  and  a few  vegetables 
are  cultivated  in  almost  perpendicular  gardens. 

Japan  could  not  support  its  many  millions  of 
people  if  they  did  not  live  in  the  most  economi- 
cal manner  and  cultivate  every  inch  of  ground. 
Where  they  cannot  use  horses  for  ploughing,  men 
do  the  work  with  their  own  hands. 


A.  JAPANESE  COOPER 


thp:  story  or'  the  hairdressee..  41 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  HAIRDRESSER. 

“ Stotsu,  futalsu,  mitsu,  yotsu, 

Itsutsu,  mutsLi,  nanatsu.” 

So  sang  in  a weird  minor  key  Fujisawa 
Mitsu,  as  she  bounded  her  ball  on  the  veranda 
and  kept  count  of  the  strokes — one  to  eight. 

The  slides  of  the  best  room  were  open,  and 
Mrs.  Fujisawa,  Tama,  and  Aka  sat  on  the  clean 
mats,  each  busied  with  some  piece  of  needlework. 
Mrs.  Fujisawa  was  putting  together  a dress  which 
had  been  washed,  Tama  was  embroidering  a 
skirt,  and  Aka  was  sewing  on  a little  garment  for 
Rinjiro,  her  adopted  boy.  The  poor  doll  lay  neg- 
lected in  a corner  of  Aka’s  room.  She  had  no 
time  to  make  doll’s  clothes  now.  She  had 
plenty  of  work  in  these  days,  the  happiest  of  her 
life. 

On  a little  mattress  near  the  ladies  lay  Hana, 
her  eyes  protected  from  the  light  by  a blue  cotton 
cloth  laid  lightly  over  them.  This  cloth  had 
been  dipped  in  holy  water,  water  in  which  the 
image  of  the  child  Buddha  had  been  washed. 
Both  Hana  and  her  mother  confidently  expected 
help  from  it.  The  little  girl  lay  on  her  fiiton^ 
quiet  and  patient,  listening  to  the  voices  of  other 


42 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

children  at  their  play  and  to  the  murmur  of 
wind  through  the  tree-tops. 

Chiye  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  pond  feeding 
the  gold-fish  with  a thin  wafer-like  substance 
which  they  eagerly  devoured.  In  one  corner  of 
the  garden,  near  a little  summer-house,  sat  Me- 
guchi,  sewing  a seam  and  watching  two  of  the 
children.  One  of  these  was  Kesa,  now  almost 
two  and  a half  years  old,  and  the  other  was  the 
merry-looking  Rinjiro,  six  months  older.  They 
were  loving  playmates.  Aka  said  jokingly  that 
they  should  be  betrothed  now,  and  marry  when 
they  were  old  enough. 

The  children  were  not  encumbered  with  much 
clothing.  They  wore  simple  white  garments 
and  had  neither  shoes  nor  stocking.  They  were 
rolling  poor  Daruma  Sama  backward  and  for- 
ward. Their  delighted  shouts  reached  Hana’s 
ears  and  brought  a smile  to  her  pale  face. 

Daruma  Sama  was  a Japanese  saint.  The 
story  runs  that,  wishing  to  cross  the  sea  on  a leaf, 
he  spent  many  years  in  prayer  before  he  could  ac- 
complish the  feat,  so  many  years  that  he  wore  off 
his  lower  limbs.  His  image,  therefore,  has  a 
large  head  and  arms,  while  the  rest  of  his  body  is 
a hemisphere  that  rolls  about  to  the  great  delight 
of  children. 

It  was  August,  and  the  garden  was  lovely 
with  its  late  summer  flowers.  There  were  lilies 
there  as  white  and  pure  as  those  Saijiro  loved  so 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  HAIRDRESSER.  43 

dearly  on  his  mountain.  By  the  pond  bloomed 
pale  pink  and  blue  hydrangeas.  Early  chrysan- 
themums looked  up  at  the  children  with  bright 
faces.  Magnificent  lotus-flowers  reclined  as  lan- 
guidly on  their  broad  leaves  as  Oriental  beauties 
on  soft  couches.  Oto,  the  gardener,  was  pains- 
taking and  faithful,  so  that  everything  was  care- 
fully tended  in  his  domain. 

At  last  Mitsu’s  ball  bounded  away  from  her, 
rolling  down  towards  the  pond  and  Chiye.  Mitsu 
slipped  her  feet  into  the  straw  sandals  lying  near 
her  on  the  ground  and  went  after  the  ball.  But 
when  she  had  picked  it  up  she  did  not  return  to 
her  play.  She  stood,  instead,  by  Chiye,  watch- 
ing the  feeding  fish. 

“Mitsu,”  said  Chiye,  as  she  threw  her  last 
wafer,  “do  you  see  that  big  fellow  over  there? 
the  one  that  shines  so  and  has  the  ‘drop’  on  his 
forehead  ?’  ’ 

“Yes,”  answered  Mitsu. 

“Well,  I call  him  Shaka  Sama”* — a Japan- 
ese name  for  Buddha.  “He  has  rays  coming  out 
from  him,  and  that  mark  in  his  forehead  is  like 
Shaka  Sama’s.” 

“Oh,  Chiye!”  said  the  shocked  Mitsu,  “you 
should  not  say  that  a fish  is  like  Shaka  Sama. 
We  must  not  speak  disrespectfully  of  the  gods. 
Shaka  Sama  is  so  good  and  gentle.  I love  to 

* Sama  is  a respectful  title  meaning  “ my  lord  ” or  “ my 
lady.” 


44 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


look  iipon  his  face.  It  is  so  different  from  those 
terrible  07iis^''  (devils). 

Chive  did  not  seem  much  impressed.  But 
there  is  no  telling  what  answer  she  might  have 
made,  for  just  then  the  opening  and  shutting  of 
slides  in  the  house  and  the  murmur  of  voices  an- 
nounced the  arrival  of  the  hairdresser. 

“There  is  Kei,”  said  Chiye,  listening  to  the 
sounds.  “Let  us  go  in.” 

Salutations  were  not  yet  over  when  the  chil- 
dren entered  the  room  where  the  new-comer  was 
and  went  down  upon  the  floor  with  the  others. 

“Truly,  a long  time,”  murmured  Kei. 

“For  the  favors  of  long  ago  we  thank  you,” 
answered  the  children. 

“Truly,  thanks,”  said  Kei.  “How  is  your 
honorable  father?  and  your  honorable  selves — are 
you  well?” 

A servant  brought  tea,  which  they  all  drank. 
Then  Kei  and  Mrs.  Fujisawa  took  a whiff  from 
their  pipes,  knocking  the  ashes  into  the  hibachi^ 
or  fire-box. 

Now  the  hairdresser  in  Japan  usually  carries 
all  gossip  from  one  house  to  another.  She  is,  in 
consequence,  an  interesting  personage.  She  will 
tell  how  Miss  Cho  wore  her  mother’s  dress  to  the 
festival,  how  Miss  Tama  broke  her  wooden  shoes 
and  fell  in  the  street,  how  Mrs.  Kuginuki  is  al- 
ways crying,  and  how  the  “go-between”  has  set- 
tled a marriage  of  this  person  and  that.  But  Kei 


THR  STORY  OF  THE  HAIRDRESSER.  45 

was  not  so  fond  of  gossip  as  most  ot  the  hair- 
dressers. She  was  a bright-looking  woman  with 
gray  hair.  She  wore  a dark  gown  and  sash  and 
carried  a tobacco-pouch  at  her  side.  She  talked 
merrily  to  the  children  while  making  prepara- 
tions for  her  task.  First  an  old  mat  was  brought, 
upon  which  oil,  combs,  and  a polished  steel  mir- 
ror were  placed.  Then  Mrs.  Fujisawa  with  a 
bow  excused  herself  to  her  eldest  daughter  for 
being  first  and  sat  down.  Kei  unbound  her 
thick  long  hair. 

“Kei,”  said  Mitsu,  as  she  watched  the  pro- 
cess, “you  promised  some  time  to  tell  us  about 
the  fishing-village  where  you  lived  when  you 
were  a little  girl.” 

“Truly,  I did,  O Mitsu,”  said  the  woman. 
“But  it  was  a very  poor  place,  a little  place  on 
one  of  the  islands  of  the  Inland  Sea,  near  the 
town  of  Onomichi.  There  were  only  four  or  five 
houses — not  like  your  honorable  father’s  honor- 
able mansion,  but  dirty  and  ill-smelling,  fit  for 
dogs.  Still  we  loved  to  watch  the  water  and  the 
beautiful  islands.  Dogii ! those  islands  are  al- 
ways green  ! We  would  sit  on  the  shore  looking 
for  the  boats  and  wondering  how  many  fish  the 
men  would  bring  home.  When  they  brought 
enough,  the  women  had  to  carry  them  to  Ono- 
michi. This  is  a pretty  place.  The  houses  are 
large  and  clean,  and  there  is  a beautiful  walk  on 
a terrace  where  one  can  sit  and  see  the  water.” 


46 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Here  Meguclii  interrupted  the  story  by  com- 
ing up  to  the  veranda  with  sleepy  little  Kesa  on 
her  back  and  Rinjiro  clinging  to  her  skirt.  Kei 
had  to  stop  and  admire  the  children. 

“She  has  very  large  eyes,”  said  the  mother 
regretfully,  referring  to  Kesa;  for  this  was  not  in 
accordance  with  Japanese  ideas  of  beauty;  and 
Mrs.  Fujisawa  felt  troubled,  too,  about  her  baby’s 
round  rosy  cheeks. 

Kesa,  being  sound  asleep,  was  laid  upon  the 
floor,  while  Meguchi  sat  beside  her  to  keep  off  the 
flies.  Rinjiro  crept  to  his  mother’s  side,  and  Kei 
went  on. 

“It  was  a long  walk  to  Onomichi.  The 
women  got  very  tired,  carrying  heavy  baskets  on 
their  heads  and  heavy  babies  on  their  backs. 
Then,  too,  the  w<  men  had  to  plant  rice.  Work- 
ing with  their  feet  in  water  and  the  sun  beating 
down  upon  their  heads  gave  them  terrible  head- 
aches. Dogu  P'* — which  means  in  Japanese, 

Alas! — “it  was  a hard  life,  O Mitsu.  Yet 
often  we  did  not  have  enough  to  satisfv  hun- 
ger — only  a little  rice,  some  pieces  of  daikon^ 
and  some  poor  weak  tea.  Often  the  men  got 
no  fish.  They  came  home  tired  and  cross. 
They  drank  sake\''  (an  intoxicating  drink  made 
of  rice)  “and  slept  heavily;  but  the  women  must 
go  on  working.  The  fishing  nets  were  very 
heavy;  we  had  to  mend  them  and  hang  them  up 
to  dry. 


MEGUCHI,  KESA,  AND  RINJIRO 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  HAIRDRESSER.  47 

“One  day  when  the  father  had  brought  some 
fish,  the  mother  took  me  with  the  other  girls  to 
Onomichi.  Honorable  mother  carried  the  baby 
on  her  back.  We  tramped  all  around  the  town, 
selling  our  fish,  and  at  last  started  for  home  tired 
and  hungry.  The  mother  looked  worn  and  sick. 
At  last  her  strength  failed.  She  put  the  baby 
upon  the  ground,  sinking  down  herself.  We 
were  all  little  ones  and  did  not  know  what  to  do. 
Some  of  the  children  cried,  some  fell  asleep.  By- 
and-by  two  men  came  along,  and  we  begged 
them  to  help  us.  They  carried  poor  honorable 
mother  home.  She  never  went  to  Onomichi 
again.  she  died.  ” 

Kei  wiped  the  tears  from  her  eyes.  The  chil- 
dren looked  sorry.  Mitsu  was  waiting  patiently 
for  Kei  to  go  on  with  her  story. 

“Nantaro  was  my  darling.  I loved  him  and 
gave  him  the  best  of  everything.  When  the 
nights  were  cold  I spread  my  own  covering  over 
him.  He  always  had  enough  to  eat,  while  I 
went  hungry. 

“One  day  the  father  brought  a man  to  the 
house  and  said  I must  marry  him.  I hated  the 
man,  but  I had  to  obey  the  father’s  command. 
He  was  rough  and  cross  with  me  and  beat  Nan- 
taro.  I tried  to  run  away.  But  Nantaro  was  too 
heavy  for  me  to  carry,  so  I had  to  go  back.  One 
day  while  the  husband  was  out  in  his  boat  there 
came  up  a terrible  storm.  Rinto,  the  sea-god,  was 


48 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


very  angry.  Waves  dashed  over  the  islands.  I 
never  heard  of  the  husband  any  more. 

“Then  the  honorable  father  was  sick  fora 
long  time  before  he  died.  The  beloved  Nantaro 
turned  out  a bad  boy.  He  grew  unkind  to  me, 
running  away  at  last  altogether  and  for  ever.” 
Poor  Kei’s  tears  streamed  so  fast  that  the  chil- 
dren wept  for  sympathy,  wiping  their  eyes  on 
their  sleeves.  Presently  the  story  was  continued. 

'■'‘Dogu!  I cried  night  and  day.  I ‘thought 
that  the  gods  were  angry  with  me  for  my  sins, 
and  I resolved  to  go  on  a pilgrimage.” 

“But,  Kei,”  said  little  Chiye,  “you  had  not 
done  anything  veiy  wrong,  had  you?” 

Dogti  ! it  seemed  not,  O Chiye;  yet  the  gods 
were  surely  angry.  I had  heard  of  the  holy  place 
where,  before  foreigners  came  into  the  country 
and  the  war  broke  out,  the  Son  of  Heaven  (the 
Mikado,  lived.  I wanted  to  worship  at  one  of  the 
temples  there.  I waited  until  a junk  came  to 
take  me  off  the  island.  I went  on  board,  with 
some  clothes  wrapped  in  a handkerchief,  and 
sailed  through  the  Inland  Sea  to  Hiogo.  I was 
sick  and  cold  and  miserable.  The  wind  was  bad, 
and  we  were  a long  time  getting  into  the  port. 
Please  to  wait  a little,  Mitsu,”  Kei  interrupted 
her  story  to  say,  as  IMitsii  was  about  to  take  Ta- 
ma’s place.  “I  brought  some  pretty  new  hair- 
pins for  you  and  Chiye.  Please  to  condescend  to 
select,  darlings.” 


THE  STORY  OK  THE  HAIRDRESSER.  49 

The  hairpins  were  sprigs  of  delicate  crape 
flowers.  Mitsu  chose  some  cherry-blossoms,  and 
Chiye  tiny  chrysanthemums.  Then  came  tea, 
and  for  the  elders  a few  whiffs  from  their  pipes. 
At  last,  Mitsu  being  seated  under  Kei’s  skilful 
hands,  the  story  went  on. 

“ Hiogo  is  a beautiful  town.  Back  of  it  there 
is  a fine  waterfall,  where  I went  one  day  with 
another  woman.  We  bathed  in  the  deep  pool 
and  let  the  stream  pour  over  our  heads,  and  as  we 
bathed  we  prayed  that  our  sins  might  be  washed 
away.  Afterwards  we  prayed  again  at  the  temple. 
Then  I started  to  walk  to  Kioto,  carrying  my 
bundle  on  the  end  of  a stick.  It  rained.  I was 
wet  and  weary.  At  last  I came  to  a large  city 
which  I knew  to  be  Osaka.  I thought  I would 
stay  there  a while  and  see  if  I could  learn  any- 
thing about  my  boy,  my  truant  Nantaro.  I lived 
with  a woman  close  by  a temple  where  there  was 
a pagoda.  Every  day  I tramped  up  and  down 
the  stone  walk  leading  to  the  temple  three  hun- 
dred times,  repeating  the  holy  name  of  Buddha 
one  thousand  times.” 

Here  Mrs.  Fujisawa,  who  was  a very  religious 
woman,  looked  with  wonder  at  Kei,  covered  her 
face  with  her  hands,  and  said,  “Truly,  very 
good !” 

Kei  shook  her  head  and  went  on. 

“The  stones  were  hard  and  my  feet  were 
sore.  At  last  I could  walk  no  more.  The 


Kc«a  and  Saijiro. 


4 


50  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

woman  brought  me  some  books  to  read;  but  I did 
not  care  for  stories.  I wanted  to  know  the  way 
of  the  gods,  to  know  how  I could  please  them,  so 
that  they  would  be  good  to  me  and  make  me 
happy.  I studied  with  a priest,  telling  him  of 
my  troubles  and  my  wish  to  please  the  gods. 
But  what  could  he  say?  Only,  ^ Dogu  ! I do  not 
know  how  to  help  you.  I cannot  understand  it 
very  well  myself.’  At  last  I would  go  up  to 
Kioto.  A man  had  offered  me  a ride  in  his  boat. 
I bade  farewell  to  the  woman  and  the  priest. 

“It  was  pleasant  to  sit  in  the  boat,  watching 
the  trees  on  the  bank  and  the  light  ripples  in  the 
water.  Truly,  Kioto  is  a wonderful  place  ! The 
temples  are  larger  and  finer  even  than  these  in 
your  honorable  city.  There  are  mountains  all 
about,  and  in  the  mountains  there  are  shrines 
where  the  devout  go  up  to  pray.  But  I,  alas ! 
could  find  no  peace  for  my  soul  in  Kioto,  though 
I walked  many  and  many  a mile  in  the  moun- 
tains, though  I fasted  and  prayed.  For  all  the 
while  I was  thinking  of  my  boy  and  that  perhaps 
I might  find  him.  The  gods  would  not  hear  me, 
because  I sorrowed  more  for  him  than  I did  for 
my  sins.  Come,  O Chiye.” 

Chiye  had  only  to  have  her  hair  combed  and 
the  pretty  hairpin  stuck  through  a little  knot  on 
top  of  her  head.  While  Kei  was  finishing  her 
task  the  story  too  was  finished. 

“I  tried  not  to  think  of  Nantaro.  I went  on 


THE  STORY  OE  THE  HAIRDRESSER.  5I 

many  a pilgrimage.  I put  on  the  pilgrim’s  white 
garments  and  climbed  the  sacred  Fuji  to  worship 
the  great  Buddha  at  the  crater.  Truly,  it  was  a 
weary  time;  yet  I got  down  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  as  sorrowful  as  ever.  All  the  holy 
water  of  all  the  holy  shrines  could  not  wash  away 
my  sins.  At  last  I came  to  Tokio.  Here  I 
joined  some  women-priests,  shaved  my  head  like 
theirs,  and  beat  on  a drum.” 

At  this  point,  much  to  Mrs.  Fujisawa’s  won- 
der, Kei  threw  back  her  head  and  laughed. 

“The  women  were  not  holy.  They  talked  of 
all  sorts  of  things,  wrong  as  well  as  silly,  while 
they  were  beating  their  drums.  Their  eyes  were 
everywhere.  They  never  thought  of  the  gods. 
So  I gave  it  all  up,  learned  how  to  dress  hair,  and 
got  my  little  house.” 

“ But  did  you  never  find  Nantaro?”  asked  lit- 
tle Chiye. 

Dogu^  no;  my  boy  is  lost.  I would  go  all 
over  Nippon  to  find  him.  I think  that  is  the  rea- 
son why  the  gods  do  not  bless  me.  I would  do  as 
much  to  find  Nantaro  as  I would  to  please  them. 
Truly,  dogu  r'‘ 

Kei’s  tale  was  told,  and  after  more  tea  and  to- 
bacco, more  bows  and  compliments,  she  went 
away. 

Soon  after,  Meguchi  went  with  the  five  little 
sisters  to  the  bath-house.  There  they  splashed 
about  in  the  great  tank  of  hot  water  with  their 


52 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


playmates.  Apparently  Kei’s  sad  story  was  for- 
gotten. But  it  had  sunk  deep  into  one  little 
heart;  Mitsu,  after  many  years,  would  think  of  it 
often. 

The  soft  evening  light  was  falling  over  Tokio 
when  the  children  came  out  of  the  bath-house  and 
started  for  home.  The  canal  beside  which  they 
had  to  pass  was  all  golden  in  the  sunshine.  Boats 
laden  with  charcoal  were  being  poled  slowly 
along. 

“Where  does  charcoal  come  from,  Meguchi?” 
asked  Chiye. 

Meguchi  pointed  to  the  dark  line  of  hills  in 
the  west.  The  baby  Kesa  raised  her  dark  eyes 
to  the  heights  where  Saijiro  lived.  But  she  was 
only  following  the  direction  of  Meguchi’s  finger. 
Her  attention  was  immediately  diverted  to  a man 
who  passed  them  carrying  some  gayly  decorated 
toys.  She  stretched  her  hands  out  eagerly. 

“Who  will  buy  my  toys?  Who  will  buy  my 
toys?”  cried  the  man. 

Meguchi  shook  her  head  at  him  and  said  to 
the  little  one,  “Condescend  to  wait  for  another 
time,  darling.” 

Kesa  asked  for  the  toys  no  more.  As  for  the 
charcoal,  the  children  had  all  forgotten  about  it. 

They  were  all  at  home  to  meet  their  father 
when  he  returned  from  the  custom-house;  but 
they  had  seldom  seen  him  look  so  hard  and  stern. 
He  said  little  at  the  evening  meal,  and  soon  after 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  HAIRDRESSER.  53 


went  with  some  brother  officers  to  the  upper 
room  where  they  so  often  smoked  and  talked.  A 
terrible  thing  had  occurred  in  Tokio.  There  was 
great  excitement  throughout  the  city.  The  boiler 
of  an  English  steamer  had  exploded,  and  many 
Japanese  were  among  the  wounded  and  the  dead. 
The  anti-foreign  party,  always  ready  for  the 
slightest  excuse  to  rebel  against  the  presence  of 
the  strangers,  were  threatening  severe  measures. 
So  Fujisawa  and  his  friends  sat  far  into  the  night 
discussing  the  unsettled  state  of  things  in  the  em- 
pire, and  almost  momentarily  expecting  a sum- 
mons to  the  custom-house. 

At  the  shrine  in  her  chamber  Mrs.  Fujisawa 
knelt  and  prayed  to  her  idol  gods,  vowing  obedi- 
ence to  them  if  only  her  sick  child  might  be 
cured. 


54 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SAIJIRO  CRIMES  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

Early  in  tlie  morning  of  the  day  on  which 
Kei  told  her  story  to  the  children,  Yenoske 
and  the  pack-horse  stole  quietly  out  of  the 
village,  went  up  to  the  main  road  and  then 
down  towards  the  great  town  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain. 

When  Saijiro  opened  his  eyes  he  remembered 
that  Yenoske  had  gone  and  that  it  was  a school 
holiday.  His  father’s  place  by  his  side  was  va- 
cant, and  Saijiro  knew  that  he  should  find  him  at 
his  books.  He  sprang  up,  went  out  into  the  fresh 
air,  and  w^ashed  his  face  and  hands  at  the  spring 
which  bubbled  up  near  the  shrine  of  the  god 
Inari. 

The  day  was  as  bright  and  beautiful  on  the 
Hakones  as  in  Tokio.  In  the  great  capital  the 
little  Fujisawas  had  the  beautiful,  sparkling  bay 
with  its  sail-boats  to  look  at  and  the  Hakones  in 
the  distance.  In  Yamamidzu,  Saijiro  had  the 
river,  and  the  mountain  towering  above  him  cov- 
ered with  trees  and  bushes  and  with  lilies  grow- 
ing on  almost  inaccessible  heights.  The  child 
stood  for  a moment  when  he  had  finished  his 
toilet,  and  with  water  pouring  from  his  dark  hair 


YENOSKR  AXD  THE  PACE-HORSE. 


SAIJIRO  CRIMES  THE  MOUNTAIN.  55 

clasped  his  hands  and  bowed  his  head  before  the 
fox-god’s  shrine.  He  then  went  to  find  his 
father.  Pushing  back  the  slides,  he  saw  him  sit- 
ting at  the  writing-table,  and  went  down  on  his 
knees,  touching  his  forehead  to  the  floor.  Yetaro 
acknowledged  the  salutation  and  pointed  to  a 
bowl  containing  a little  rice.  Saijiro  ate  the  rice 
and  a small  piece  of  radish. 

“Is  there  no  more,  honorable  father?”  he 
asked,  his  hunger  scarcely  appeased. 

Yetaro  shook  his  head,  but  added,  “Yenoske 
will  bring  some  rice,  my  son.” 

Saijiro  went  quickly  to  a pile  of  Buddhist 
books  which  were  in  one  corner  of  the  room  and 
began  to  look  at  the  pictures.  Some  of  these 
were  representations  of  Buddhist  hells.  The  god 
Yemma  sat  in  state,  trying  the  dead  as  they  were 
brought  to  him.  Saijiro  was  frightened  as  he 
looked  at  pictures  of  men  thrown  into  caldrons  of 
boiling  oil.  The  terrible  devils,  some  with  one 
great  glaring  eye  in  the  middle  of  their  foreheads, 
did  not  tend  to  reassure  him. 

“Honorable  father,”  said  he  at  last,  “where 
do  all  these  devils  live  ? and  why  do  they  throw 
the  people  into  boiling  oil  ?” 

“It  is  jigoku  (hell),  Saichan,”  answered  the 
father,  “and  the  onis  arc  punishing  the  wicked.” 
“ But  what  is  ‘wicked’?” 

“Saichan,”  answered  Yetaro,  “I  will  tell  Ye- 
noske  to  get  you  some  books  the  next  time  he 


56  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

goes  down  tlie  mountain.  You  cannot  under- 
stand these.” 

Saijiro  piled  the  books  up  in  the  corner  and, 
followed  by  Ts’koi,  went  out  into  the  garden. 
His  favorite  corner  was  just  back  of  the  house, 
where  a hedge  separated  the  schoolmaster’s 
ground  from  the  side  of  the  mountain.  The 
child  had  never  attempted  to  go  beyond  the 
hedge,  so  the  father  felt  no  uneasiness  about  him. 
For  a while  he  amused  himself  making  a little 
garden,  working  industriously  as  he  cleared  away 
stones,  dug,  and  planted.  A big  bee  hummed 
around  him.  Some  toads  came  out  of  their  holes 
and  looked  at  him,  and  ants  worked  near  him, 
getting  ready  for  the  winter.  There  were  birds 
in  the  trees  above  him,  and  occasionally  a tiny 
lizard  glided  past  him. 

But  bees,  toads,  ants,  birds,  and  reptiles  were 
safe  at  the  hands  of  the  little  Buddhist  boy ; for 
the  Buddhists  say  that  when  a man  dies  his  soul 
enters  into  the  body  of  some  lower  animal,  and 
great  fear  is  felt  of  crushing  the  frail  tenement  of 
some  human  soul.  Saijiro’s  father  was  especial- 
ly careful  upon  this  point.  The  child  was  never 
allowed  to  kill  or  torture  a fly.  Often  when  he 
went  to  the  temple  with  Yetaro,  the  latter 
would  slip  cash  into  his  hands  to  enable  him 
to  pay  for  the  release  of  some  imprisoned  bird; 
and  the  child,  as  he  watched  their  happy  flight 
into  the  sky,  would  feel  that  he  had  done  some- 


SAIJIRO  CLIMBS  THE  MOUNTAIN.  57 

tiling  good,  and  had  gained  “merit  with  the 
gods.  ’ ’ 

Ts’koi  lay  down  on  the  ground  near  Saijiro 
and  watched  him  as  he  went  backward  and  for- 
ward at  his  play.  Ts’koi  had  coarse  yellow  hair 
and  dull,  inexpressive  eyes.  But  he  was  devoted 
to  his  little  master  and  to  Yenoske.  And  well  he 
might  be,  for  they  had  discovered  him  one  day 
on  a rock  in  the  middle  of  the  rushing  river, 
whining  and  yelping,  evidently  hurt  and  unable 
to  help  himself.  Yenoske  plunged  at  once  into 
the  torrent.  Although  rapid,  the  river  was  not 
very  deep,  and  Yenoske  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  rock  and  bringing  the  dog  to  the  shore  and  to 
his  little  friend.  The  dog’s  wounded  leg  was 
duly  attended  to  by  Baba,  and  he  became  Saiji- 
ro’s inseparable  companion. 

At  last  Saijiro  tired  of  garden-making.  Far 
up  on  the  mountain  grew  some  white  lilies.  He 
could  see  them  gleaming  in  the  distance.  If  Ye- 
noske had  been  there,  he  would  have  lost  no  time 
in  going  up  to  get  them.  Suddenly  Saijiro  con- 
cluded that  he  might  possibly  reach  them  him- 
self. There  was  a hole  in  the  hedge  which  he 
easily  made  larger.  He  crept  through  and  stood 
for  the  first  time  on  the  other  side.  As  a matter 
of  course  Ts’koi  followed,  and  soon  the  two  were 
on  their  way  up  the  mountain. 

The  mountain-side  was  steeper  here  than  the 
road  up  which  Yenoske  and  the  horse  had  gone 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


58 

ill  the  early  morning.  But  Yenoske  and  the 
horse  had  charcoal  to  carry,  while  Saijiro  and 
Ts’koi  were  unencumbered.  Saijiro  had  to  take 
fast  hold  of  the  bushes  and  pull  himself  up  by 
them.  Stones,  dislodged  by  his  feet,  went  bound- 
ing down  to  the  hedge,  and  the  great  trees  seemed 
ever  calling  to  him  to  come  up  higher.  Poor 
Ts’koi  was  puijzled.  He  panted  and  puffed,  but 
still  kept  on.  At  last  the  lilies  were  reached,  and 
Saijiro,  clinging  to  a bush,  almost  lost  his  bal- 
ance as  he  plucked  them  from  their  stems. 

And  now  he  began  to  think  of  going  back. 
But  when  he  looked  down,  the  dizzy  height 
frightened  him.  Poor  little  boy  ! Tears  gather- 
ed in  his  eyes  and  rolled  down  his  rosy  cheeks. 
The  distance  to  the  top  of  the  peak  did  not  look 
so  great,  and  something  still  seemed  to  impel  him 
upward.  So  on  he  climbed,  every  step  rendering 
his  return  more  difficult.  At  last,  giving  one 
desperate  pull  at  a bush  and  drawing  himself  up, 
he  stood  on  the  summit.  It  was  a beautiful 
place.  Tall  trees  grew  in  an  almost  perfect 
circle  around  a grass-plot.  Rocks,  with  soft 
mosses  cling.ing  to  them,  were  scattered  here  and 
there;  and  in  one  spot  was  a tiny  spring,  whose 
ice-cold  waters  danced  merrily  over  some  bright 
pebbles. 

But  near  the  centre  of  the  grass-plot  w^as  a 
fire,  and  around  the  fire  bits  of  charred  wood  were 
lying.  Saijiro  stood  for  a moment  watching  the 


SAIJIRO  CRIMES  THR  MOUNTAIN.  59 

flames  and  wondering  who  could  have  made  the 
fire  in  this  lonely  place.  Suddenly  there  appear- 
ed from  behind  a clump  of  bushes  a wild-looking 
man  with  long  dishevelled  hair  and  blackened 
face.  In  an  instant  the  thought  of  demons  and 
caldrons  of  boiling  oil  rushed  into  the  child’s 
mind.  The  harmless  charcoal-burner  appeared 
to  him  as  some  terrible  being  sent  to  punish  him 
for  running  away.  With  a wild  shriek  he  started 
down  the  other  side  of  the  mountain  as  fast  as  he 
could  go,  poor  perplexed  Ts’koi  at  his  heels. 
The  charcoal-burner  tried  in  vain  to  make  him 
understand  that  he  would  not  harm  him.  The 
harder  the  man  tried,  the  faster  ran  the  terrified 
child.  At  last  the  charcoal-burner  gave  up  the 
chase  and  sat  down,  wiping  the  perspiration  from 
his  face  and  uttering  the  expressive  Japanese 
‘ ^Dogu  P ’ 

Saijiro  and  Ts’koi  continued  their  flight 
down  the  mountain.  The  slope  was  gradual,  the 
descent  easy.  They  were  both  hot  and  breath- 
less, both  faint  with  hunger  and  thirst.  Then 
Saijiro  fell  and  lay  exhausted  on  the  ground, 
crying  piteously.  Presently  he  thought  he  heard 
children’s  voices,  and  getting  up  he  went  around 
some  rocks,  and  to  his  great  joy  discovered  sev- 
eral Yamamidzu  boys  bathing  in  a pond.  The 
bathers  ran  up  to  the  terrified  child. 

“What  is  it,  Saiji?  What  have  you  done?” 

“A  very  great  thing  has  happened,”  gasped 


6o 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Saijiro.  ‘‘I  have  seen  a terrible  devil  on  the 
mountain.” 

This  created  something  of  a panic  among  the 
children.  One  or  two  wanted  to  go  home. 

“What  was  it  like?”  asked  a boy  of  twelve 
or  thirteen. 

Dogu  P''  answered  Saijiro;  “I  don’t  know; 
only  he  ran  after  me,  and  had  hair  all  over  his 
face  and  a great  shining  eye  in  the  middle  of  his 
forehead.  ’ ’ 

The  boys  were  somewhat  awed,  but  as  mo- 
ments passed  and  nothing  appeared,  they  went 
on  with  their  play.  Saijiro  pulled  off  his  one 
little  garment,  jumped  into  the  pond,  and  was 
soon  as  merry  as  the  rest.  They  sailed  boats, 
poled  themselves  about  on  logs,  splashed,  ducked 
their  heads  under  the  waterfall,  and  brought  them 
out  with  water  streaming  from  their  black  hair. 

Saijiro  forgot  all  about  his  father,  Yenoske, 
and  everything  else,  for  the  time.  At  last  the 
boys  concluded  to  go  home.  At  the  entrance  of 
the  village  Saijiro  met  his  father,  who  had  been 
searching  for  hours  with  a new  terror  at  his  heart. 
He  said  little  to  the  boy,  however.  Taking  him 
by  the  hand,  he  led  him  to  Baba’s  house  and  left 
him  in  the  old  woman’s  care.  The  demon  of  un- 
rest had  taken  possession  of  him,  and  he  was  go- 
ing on  another  long  pilgrimage. 

A cloud  rested  on  the  top  of  the  mountain  that 
night,  and  the  next  day  the  rain  poured  down 


SAIJIRO  CLIMBS  THE  MOUNTAIN.  6l 

heavily  over  Japan.  It  saturated  the  thatched 
roof  of  the  little  house  where  Saijiro  and  Baba 
passed  the  day  and  kept  the  little  Fujisawas  in- 
doors. If  they  had  gone  outside  they  could  not 
have  seen  the  Hakones;  these  were  covered  with 
mist  and  rain.  The  teacher  Yetaro,  wrapped  in 
his  rain-coat,  plodded  along  the  great  highway 
across  the  Hakones,  scarcely  heeding  the  storm. 

Yenoske  and  the  horse  travelled  all  day  up 
the  steep,  slippery  mountain  road.  It  was  almost 
night  when  they  reached  the  village.  Saijiro 
heard  them,  and  rushed  out  to  meet  them  in  the 
pouring  rain. 


62 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  VIL 

TAMA’S  NEW  HOME. 

The  year  in  Japan  is  marked  by  flowers. 
Early  in  the  spring  the  cherry,  peach,  and  plum 
trees  blossom.  A little  later  and  the  lovely  cam- 
ellia blooms,  the  iris  and  the  wistaria  make  the 
gardens  lovely.  When  summer  comes  on  the 
hills  are  bright  with  azaleas,  the  lotus  unfolds  its 
grand  flowers,  hydrangeas  bloom,  and  far  up  on 
the  mountain-side  fair  white  lilies  bow  to  the 
breeze.  In  the  early  autumn  come  the  chrysan- 
themums, the  glory  of  Japan  and  her  chosen  em- 
blem. In  the  winter  we  have  the  bright  berry 
nanten^  the  single  camellia,  and  the  yellow  jon- 
quil. The  seasons  of  these  flowers  as  they  come 
are  celebrated  by  festivals,  all  the  people  doing 
lionor  to  their  beautiful  favorites. 

So  three  bright  years  came  and  went  for  little 
Kesa.  Loving  care  was  given  her  in  her  pleasant 
home.  Her  mother  was  tender  and  kind,  her 
father  proud  and  fond,  her  sisters  usually  good 
and  gentle.  There  were  tears  for  little  Kesa,  as 
there  are  for  all  children  in  this  great  round  world 
of  ours.  Sometimes  things  would  grieve  and  dis- 
appoint her,  or  her  heart  would  be  swollen  with 
anger,  when  she  would  throw  herself  down  and 


Tama’s  new  home.  63 

sob  in  a passionate  outbreak.  But  as  a general 
thing  she  was  merry  and  happy,  loving  and 
loved.  She  was  a handsome  child,  large  and 
finely  developed  for  her  age,  and  she  still  kept  the 
round,  laughing  eyes  of  her  babyhood.  She  was 
living  her  baby  life  still,  untrammelled  by  school 
duties,  spending  most  of  her  time  in  the  garden 
with  Rinjiro  or  playing  with  a good-natured 
tailless  cat. 

Now  had  come  a busy  summer  for  the  Fujisa- 
was.  The  five  years  of  Tama’s  betrothal  were 
over,  and  soon  she  was  to  leave  her  father’s  house 
for  her  Hakodate  home.  How  interested  Kesa 
and  all  of  them  had  been  in  the  beautiful  silks., 
satins,  and  crapes  whieh  the  merchants  had 
brought  to  the  house ! Fujisawa  spared  no 
money,  and  the  ladies  selected  the  riehest  materials 
for  drcsses  and  skirts  and  the  most  elegant  bro- 
cades for  sashes.  The  gay  hairpins  of  the  young 
girl  were  given  up  for  long  skewers  of  tortoise- 
shell and  amber.  Everything  was  ready,  and 
in  a short  time  the  child-bride  would  look  upon 
the  face  of  her  future  husband. 

A steamer  had  come  into  port  at  Yokohama 
on  board  of  which  were  the  young  Mesoburo,  the 
bridegroom-elect,  his  father,  mother,  and  the  go- 
between. 

If  you  could  have  looked  at  the  fifteen-year- 
old  Tama  as  she  sat  in  the  upper  room,  you 
would  have  seen  a slight,  oval-faced  girl,  beauti- 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


ful  in  Japanese  eyes,  dressed  in  the  most  fashion- 
able style,  and  neatness  itself  in  every  detail  of 
dress  and  adornment.  Her  hair  was  brought  over 
the  top  of  her  head,  rolled  with  exquisite  crape, 
and  confined  by  a large  amber  hairpin.  Her  eye- 
brows were  shaved  off,  her  face  was  powdered, 
her  finger-nails  stained  and  polished,  her  lips 
painted.  No  wonder  kissing  is  unknown  in 
Japan.  Who  would  wish  to  kiss  painted  lips? 

Her  crape  dress  was  of  that  soft  gray  shade 
which  the  Japanese  love,  and  her  crimson  bro- 
caded sash  was  the  richest  that  could  be  purchased 
in  the  city. 

Tama  could  read  the  “Great  Learning”  and 
repeat  the  “One  Hundred  Poems;”  she  was  a 
good  performer  on  the  samisc7t  and  could  sing  a 
number  of  Japanese  songs.  At  the  tea-school  she 
had  learned  how  to  make  tea  and  how  to  present 
it  gracefully  to  guests.  She  was  skilled  in  sew- 
ing and  embroidery,  well  instructed  in  all  matters 
of  Japanese  etiquette.  The  principles  of  obedi- 
ence to  father,  mother,  father-in-law,  and  mother- 
in-law  had  been  duly  inculcated.  Indeed  Tama 
was  not  inclined  to  anything  else.  She  and 
IMitsu  were  children  after  their  mother’s  own 
heart,  passive  and  gentle,  rendering  obedi- 
ence as  a matter  of  course  and  reverencing  the 
gods. 

But  the  rough,  blunt  little  Chiye,  whom  Fuji- 
sawa called  his  boy,  the  mother  did  not  under- 


TAMARS  np:w  home. 


65 


stand  quite  so  well ; and  Kesa,  too,  was  inclined 
to  question  and  rebel.  ■ 

Fujisawa  met  his  friends  in  Yokohama,  and 
they  went  immediately  to  Tokio.  In  the  after- 
noon the  two  young  people  who  were  to  be  so 
closely  united  met  for  the  first  time.  There  were 
no  hand-claspings,  no  kisses,  no  caresses,  no  lov- 
ing words.  They  bowed  low  and  exchanged 
formal  salutations. 

“Truly,  welcome  to  our  humble  abode,”  said 
Tama. 

“Truly,  I am  well  received  and  entertained,” 
answered  young  Mesoburo. 

But,  as  it  happened,  the  young  people  were 
mutually  pleased.  Tama  was  considered  a beau- 
ty by  the  Japanese,  and  Mesoburo  was  a fine- 
looking,  courteous  young  man. 

Kei’s  tears  fell  fast  over  Tama’s  dark  hair  as 
she  arranged  it  next  day  for  the  bridal. 
she  said,  “I  have  done  this  for  you  since  you 
Avere  a baby.  How  proud  you  were  of  your  first 
little  hairpins !” 

Tama  showed  her  the  long  pin  of  golden 
amber  which  her  father  had  given  her.  Kei  ad- 
mired it  exceedingly,  but  in  her  heart  she  wished 
she  were  sticking  flowers  and  butterflies  in  her 
darling’s  hair. 

Then  came  the  process  of  teeth-blacking. 
This  was  to  show  Tama’s  devotion  to  her  hus- 
band. She  would  never  marry  another,  and  no 

5 


Kctia  and  Saijiro, 


66  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

man  should  look  on  her  to  desire  her  for  his 
wife. 

“It  is  very  becoming,”  said  the  mother  and 
sisters  when  Tama’s  white  teeth  were  covered 
with  the  ugly  stuff. 

Tama  herself  was  more  inclined  to  cry  than  to 
be  pleased,  but  she  said  nothing. 

They  dressed  her  for  the  bridal.  She  wore  a 
robe  of  white  crape  ; her  white  sash  \vas  heavily 
embroidered  with  gold  and  silver  threads. 

Poor  little  child-bride  going  forth  into  an  un- 
tried life,  so  young  and  unprepared  ! What  were 
her  thoughts  as  she  contemplated  leaving  the 
beautiful  home  of  her  childhood  and  going  off  to 
the  north  with  the  stranger  Mesoburo?  Since 
she  was  ten  years  old  she  had  heard  it  all  talked 
about  as  a very  fine  thing  and  as  a settled  fact. 
It  must  be,  and  she  accepted  it.  And  the  mo- 
ther? Ah,  mothers  are  mothers  everywhere. 
Mrs.  Fujisawa  shed  many  a tear  over  her  child’s 
departure. 

Barly  in  the  evening,  when  the  lamps  had  just 
been  lighted  in  the  city  and  the  new  crescent 
moon  was  shining  in  the  west,  there  came  to  Fu- 
jisawa’s door  four  sedan-chairs,  each  carried  by 
four  coolies. 

The  ladies  were  all  ready  and  waiting. 

“The  chairs  have  arrived,”  announced  a 
servant. 

Kei  stood  in  one  corner  of  the  room  weeping 


TAMA’S  NEW  HOME.  67 

as  though  her  heart  would  break,  and  the  wonien- 
servants  were  shedding  tears. 

.Tama  arose  and  quietly  bade  the  servants 
good-by,  putting  a coin  into  the  hand  of  each. 
They  bowed  to  the  ground  before  her.  Megu- 
chi’s  sobs  were  heard  all  through  the  house. 
‘‘Come,  daughter!”  called  Fujisawa.- 
Tama,  carefully  attended  by  her  mother  and 
Aka,  went  out  of  the  house  and  took  her  place  in 
the  second  chair.  Fujisawa  occupied  the  first. 
After  Tama  came  her  four  sisters,  and  after  them 
some  friends.  In  the  rear  of  the  procession  were 
coolies  carrying  boxes  containing  Tama’s  ward- 
robe. The  Fujisawa  servants  stood  at  the  door 
watching  the  bridal  train  as  far  as  they  could  see 
it,  then  turned  and  closed  the  slides.  One  of  the 
five  daughters  had  gone  out  from  that  home,  and 
it  was  changed  for  ever. 

People  stopped  to  gaze  as  the  party  passed 
down  the  street.  “It  is  a wedding,”  they  said. 
“The  daughter  of  the  high  officer  Fujisawa  is  to 
be  married  and  go  far  to  the  north.” 

At  the  gate  of  the  house  which  Mesoburo  had 
rented  for  the  occasion,  and  to  which  he  took  his 
father  and  mother,  that  everything  might  be  done 
in  the  best  style,  stood  servants  who  prostrated 
themselves  when  the  bearers  stopped.  Then 
they  rose,  opened  the  gates,  assisted  the  bridal 
party  to  alight,  and  conducted  them  all  into  the 
great  empty  parlor. 


68 


KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“Welcome,”  said  the  fatlier-iii-law,  saluting 
the  bride;  “and  welcome  to  all.  Truly,  it  is 
like  poison  to  your  soul  to  enter  my  humble  resi- 
dence. How  are  all  the  honorable  members  of 
your  honorable  family  ?” 

In  the  meantime  Tama  and  Mesoburo  were 
down  on  the  floor  exchanorinor  most  formal  and 

o o 

polite  compliments.  Would  the  bows  and  meas- 
ured speeches  never  cease  ? _ 

At  last,  however,  all  were  upright,  with  the 
apparent  intention  of  remaining  so  for  some  time. 
They  took  their  places  for  the  wedding  ceremony. 
Tables  were  placed  before  the  bride  and  groom 
on  which  were  cups  of  sake  and  some  sweetmeats. 
The  go-between,  the  two  fathers,  and  the  two 
mothers  sat  near  the  happy  pair,  and  the  others 
arranged  themselves  so  as  to  form  a circle  about 
them.  Three  cups  of  sake  were  taken  with  the 
usual  pledges,  and  the  two  became  husband  and 
wife.  It  was  a simple  ceremony  which  did  not 
take  long.  But  after  it  came  feasting,  drinking, 
and  smoking  that  lasted  until  a late  hour. 

“The  bride  is  dressed  very  beautifully.  How 
fine  everything  is!”  “How  handsome  is  the 
bridegroom  I”  “How  happy  are  the  father-in- 
law  and  mother-in-law  to  receive  such  a daughter 
into  their  house  !”  “What  large  boxes  of  clothes 
and  wedding-presents!”  “ Great  happiness  ! very 
great  happiness  !”  Such  were  some  of  the  com- 
ments of  the  guests.  Then  followed  whole  days 


’ TAMA’S  NEW  HOME.  69 

of  feasting  and  merriment.  Fujisawa  made  a 
dinner,  and  to  it  came  the  young  married  people, 
the  father-in-law,  the  mother-in-law,  the  go- 
between,  Aka,  and  Baba,  dressed  in  her  best 'suit 
of  gray  and  smiling  all  over.  What  a splendid 
entertainment  it  was  ! The  Fujisawa  mansion 
had  been  duly  swept  and  garnished.  The  mats 
were  new  and  spotless;  the  woodwork  was  polish- 
ed until  it  shone  like  glass.  A lacquered  table 
was  placed  before  each  guest.  Tall  candlesticks 
supporting  elegant  wax  candles  were  arranged  at 
intervals,  producing  a beautiful  effect. 

At  first  there  were  only  silver  chopsticks  on 
the  tables  and  a small  quantity  of  delicate  rice 
candy.  As  the  guests  partook  of  this  they  made 
jokes  and  puns  and  congratulated  the  bride  and 
groom.  One  said,  “The  snow  of  the  north  is  like 
the  whiteness  of  this  confection.”  And  another, 
“More  beautiful  than  the  faint  gilding  of  the 
sunrise  on  a mountain-top  is  the  pink  of  this  rice- 
cake.”  And  still  another,  “ May  the  young  peo- 
ple be  as  happily  united  as  is  the  pink  of  this  rice- 
cake  with  the  white  of  that  one.” 

Then,  as  though  by  magic,  in  came  a great 
feast — soups  in  lacquered  bowls : bean  soups, 
thickened  and  sweetened;  fish  soups,  with  hard- 
boiled  eggs  floating  about;  rice  in  great  bowls, 
heaped  and  white  as  snow.  Each  guest  had  a 
small  rice-bowl  which  the  attentive  servants  kept 
filled,  this  grain  taking  the  place  of  bread.  Then 


JO  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

came  immense  platters  of  vegetables,  and  fish 
dyed  all  sorts  of  brilliant  colors.  There  were 
lotus-roots  and  lily-roots  and  pieces  of  bamboo, 
crabs,  lobsters,  and  eels,  - sweetmeats  again,  and 
sak^ and  pipes. 

The  feast  lasted  two  hours.  All  talked, 
laughed,  and  were  merry.  The  father-in-law 
from  the  north  told  stories  of  the  Ainos,  the  orig- 
inal inhabitants  of  Japan,  how  they  wear  beards, 
and  how  they  catch  seals  in  the  waters  around 
Yezo.  Fujisawa  told  the  Hakodate  friends  of 
changes  in  Tokio,  of  the  foreigners  there  and 
what  they  were  doing.  The  ladies  simpered  and 
giggled  behind  their  fans.  The  children  were 
glad,  enjoying  everything,  yet  well-behaved. 

After  the  feast  some  slides  were  pulled  back, 
and  a band  of  female  musicians  appeared.  Two 
had  samisens^  two  beat  drums,  and  one  had  a sort 
of  tambourine  which  she  struck.  They  gave  an 
overture  which  would  have  sounded  strange 
enough  to  our  ears,  but  which  the  Japanese 
thought  very  beautiful. 

The  children  knew  the  tambourine-girl.  Her 
name  was  Cho,  and  she  supported  her  aged  father 
by  her  musical  abilities. 

Suddenly  the  musicians  began  a song — a dis- 
mal sort  of  chant  it  would  have  seemed  to  us — 
and  from  some  corner  came  a dancing  girl.  She 
was  dressed  modestly,  and  all  her  movements 
were  graceful. 


FEMALE  MUSICIANS. 


TAMA’S  NEW  HOME. 


71 

“ Beautiful  upon  the  mountains  is  the  waving 
of  the  branches  of  the  pine-trees,  O yorokobi  T'' 
— i.  e.,  joyful — chanted  the  singers. 

The  dancer  moved  her  fan  in  imitation  of  the 
trees  swayed  by  the  wind. 

“ Sweetly  upon  the  blue,  ethereal  sky  fleet  the 
white  clouds,  O yorokobi  P ’ 

The  dancer  extended  her  arms  and  moved 
them  to  imitate  the  fleeting  of  the  clouds. 

“Fair  upon  the  wooded  heights  bloom  the 
lilies,  nodding  in  the  wind,  O yorokobi  P'* 

The  dancer’s  hands  were  swept  along  the 
floor. 

“Exquisite  is  the  breath  of  the  mountain 
zephyr  upon  the  cheek  of  the  tired  traveller,  O 
yorokobi  P ’ 

The  girl  raised  her  fan  and  blew  gently 
upon  it. 

“Sad  is  the  fate  ot  the  blind  one  who  can- 
not look  upon  the  beauties  of  nature,  O ka- 
waiso  P'‘ — sorrowful. 

The  dancer  walked  back  and  forth  imitating 
the  uncertain  step  of  the  blind. 

“ But  happy,  thrice  happy,  they  who  see  these 
things  and  love  them,  O yorokobi P'^ 

The  girl  walked  as  one  bounding  gracefully 
along. 

“Strong  and  light  of  heart  comes  the  lover 
over  the  mountain-path.” 

The  girl  assumed  an  expectant  attitude. 


72 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


‘‘Fair  is  the  maiden  and  pure  who  thus  ad- 
vances to  meet  him,  O yorokobi  P'* 

With  timid,  hesitating  steps  the  dancer  ad- 
vanced. 

“ Happy  the  pair  thus  united; 

“ May  they  long  live  together; 

“May  their  children  be  as  the  fruit  of  the 
orange,  beautiful,  golden,  and  many.” 

The  dancer  bowed  and  retired  amid  the  cheers 
and  thanks  of  the  spectators. 

It  was  late,  and  Fujisawa’s  grand  feast  in 
honor  of  his  daughter’s  marriage  was  over. 

The  wedding  occurred  during  the  feast  of 
chrysanthemums.  All  Tokio  was  gay  with  the 
sun-like  flowers.  The  temple  gardens  were  mag- 
nificent and  all  the  people  were  going  to  see 
them.  “We  will  go  on  the  fifteenth  day,”  said 
Fujisawa.  “We  will  take  the  children  and  have 
a picnic.” 

Children  and  grown  people  bowed  low  at  this 
announcement,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  fif- 
teenth they  all  assembled  at  the  house  to  take  jin- 
rikishas  for  the  gardens.  It  was  a beautiful, 
golden  October  day,  and  the  young  folks  were 
very  happy.  In  the  party  were  Aka,  Rinjiro, 
and  the  baba  from  the  yashiki.  IMeguchi,  Kesa, 
and  Rinjiro  were  in  one  jinrikisha.  Kesa  had 
on  a crape  dress  and  a little  coat  of  rich  em- 
broidered silk.  She  wore  nothing  on  her  head. 


TAMA’S  NEW  HOME. 


73 


Her  face  was  powdered.  Hanging  from  lier  belt 
was  a bag  in  which  she  kept  her  amulet  or  charm. 
Rinjiro’s  dress  was  very  much  the  same,  except 
that  the  colors  were  graver  and  his  sash  narrow- 
er. The  children  could  look  down  upon  the  city 
and  the  bay  as  the  coolies  drew  the  cart  along  the 
way. 

“A  great  many  sails,  Meguchi !”  said  Rinjiro, 
as  he  looked  down  on  the  water. 

“They  are  fishing-boats,  Rinchan,  going  out 
to  catch  fish.” 

A whole  fleet  of  boats  was  just  going  out  of 
the  Sunnida  River  towards  the  sea,  and  it  was 
their  white  sails  which  had  attracted  Rinjiro. 

But  the  coolies  were  pulling  the  jinrikishas 
farther  inland.  The  bay  was  soon  lost  sight  of. 
They  went  along  a canal,  past  many  a “go- 
down,”  or  fire-proof  house  in  which  the  Japanese 
store  their  goods.  The  streets  were  very  quiet; 
only  a few  people  passed  them.  They  were  go- 
ing around  the  outskirts  of  the  city  to  some  large 
gardens  on  the  west.  Meguchi  and  the  two  little 
ones  were  in  the  very  last  jinrikisha.  The  older 
people  were  laughing  and  talking,  occasionally 
calling  from  one  jinrikisha  to  another.  Hana 
was  with  her  mother.  Even  she  enjoyed  the 
fresh  air,  the  bright  waters  of  the  canal,  the  trees 
and  flowers.  The  gardens  were  filled  with  peo- 
ple, all  walking  about  and  admiring  the  grand 
display  of  chrysanthemums. 


74 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“ See,  Kechan,”  said  Meguchi,  “ there  is  Mo- 
motaro.  ’ ’ 

Momotaro,  or  Peach  Boy,  is  a favorite  with 
Japanese  children.  The  story  goes  that  he  came 
out  of  a peach  which  an  old  woman  found.  She 
and  her  husband  adopted  the  baby,  and  he  be- 
came a great  man.  Kesa  looked  up,  and  there, 
sure  enough,  was  Momotaro,  made  out  of  chrysan- 
themums, standing  up  with  drawn  sword,  ready 
to  attack  the  strong  devils.  Not  far  away  was 
“Red  Boy;”  and  in  another  corner  was  the 
mighty  Shogun  Yoritomo,  with  flaming  robe  and 
sword. 

The  children  chatted  away  to  Meguchi,  who 
told  them  stories  about  these  various  personages. 
They  ran  hither  and  thither  under  the  great  trees, 
up  and  down  the  long  avenues  of  chrysanthe- 
mums, with  doves  hopping  about  their  feet  and 
birds  flying  over  their  heads,  always  gentle,  never 
quarrelsome  or  rough  or  rude.  The  older  people 
walked  about  leisurely  or  sat  to  drink  tea. 

Oh,  that  display  of  chrysanthemums  ! There 
were  bright  yellow  ones,  massed  together  until 
they  shone  like  the  sun  itself.  There  were  pure 
white  ones,  so  stainless  that  none  could  pass  them 
without  exclaiming.  There  were  shades  of  pur- 
ple and  red  and  blue  so  many  that  the  eyes  of  the 
gazer  were  dazzled.  The  Hakodate  friends  were 
charmed.  “It  is  beautiful!”  they  said.  “For 
the  first  time  we  have  gazed  upon  such  wonders.” 


TAMA'S  NEW  HOME. 


75 


The  whole  effect  was  heightened  by  the  dresses 
of  the  people,  in  color  like  the  flowers,  and  all  this 
wonderful  variety  under  a blue  and  cloudless  sky. 
Happy  little  Kesa  to  grow  up  amid  such  scenes ! 

The  next  day  Tama  went  away  with  Mesoburo 
and  his  father  and  mother.  She  wept  at  leaving 
her  home,  and  her  mother’s  heart  was  full  of  sor- 
row. Of  all  words  of  farewell  there  is  none  which 
has  a sadder  sound  than  the  Japanese  saionara^  “if 
it  must  be  so.  ” Tama  bowed  low  on  the  floor  and 
spoke  the  farewell  word  to  father,  mother,  and  lit- 
tle sisters,  and  long  years  passed  before  Kesa  saw 
her  again. 

The  marriage  did  not  turn  out  badly.  • Tama 
was  well  treated  in  her  northern  home,  and  did 
her  best  to  be  a dutiful  daughter-in-law  and  wife. 
The  house  in  Hakodate  was  pleasant.  From  the 
veranda  Tama  could  look  over  to  the  shipping  in 
the  bay.  Doubtless  she  thought  often  of  her 
Tokio  home  and  of  the  father,  mother,  and  sisters 
so  far  away. 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


76 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  HAKONES. 

Who  will  turn  from  the  festivities  and  gave- 
ties  of  the  city  to  the  silence  and  solitudes  of  the 
mountains  ? Who  is  willing,  after  mingling  with 
those  who  fare  sumptuously  and  dress  richly,  to 
tarry  a while  with  the  poor  mountaineers  who 
have  scarcely  food  enough  to  satisfy  their  hunger? 

Even  the  inn  at  Yamamidzu  looked  attractive 
in  the  bright  October  sunlight  one  day  when  Sai- 
jiro  was  about  eight  years  old.  In  the  courtyard 
a little  group,  not  altogether  unknown  to  us,  had 
assembled.  It  consisted  of  a young  man,  a horse, 
a boy,  and  a dog.  These  were  Yenoske  and  the 
pack-horse,  Saijiro  and  Ts’koi. 

The  dog  was  lying  quietly  near  the  veranda 
in  front  of  his  little  master,  who  was  performing 
a variety  of  antics,  now  standing  on  his  head, 
again  on  his  feet,  leaping,  singing,  and  behaving 
altogether  in  a wild  sort  of  way,  which  Ts’koi 
evidently  regarded  with  distrust.  Yenoske  was 
sitting  on  the  veranda  with  one  foot  under  him 
and  the  other  on  the  ground.  Several  pairs  of 
getas^  wooden  shoes,  and  zoris^  straw  sandals, 
were  beside  him.  Near  him  on  the  veranda  were 
wooden  dippers,  plates,  cups,  spoons,  boxes,  and 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  HAKONES.  77 

toys.  Yeiioske  was  counting  all  these  things  and 
packing  them  into  two  large  hampers.  He  had 
turned  merchant  in  a small  way,  and  was  going 
up  to  Hakone  and  down  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain  to  peddle  his  goods  in  some  of  the  large 
cities.  The  teacher  had  gone  off  to  Tokio  and 
had  given  Saijiro  permission  to  accompany  Ye- 
noske.  Ts’koi  would  go  with  them,  and  of  course 
the  horse  was  going  too. 

The  rainstorms  of  September  were  over,  and 
although  the  mornings  and  evenings  were  frosty, 
the  weather  was  pleasant. 

“Do  you  think  we  shall  see  foreigners?” 
asked  Saijiro. 

‘ ‘ Perhaps  so,  ’ ’ answered  Yenoske.  “We  shall 
see  some  of  the  things  they  use.  And  we  shall  see 
the  great  Nagoya  castle  and  the  wonderful  gold- 
fish, the  Hakone  Lake,  and  such  beautiful  tem- 
ples, Saiji,  with  such  gods  I You  never  saw  any- 
thing so  nice — grand  golden  images  of  Shaka 
Sama  and  his  disciples.  Our  images  here  are 
ugly,  old,  and  broken.” 

“ I am  going  to  carry  Hotei  Sama  with  me,” 
answered  the  child,  taking  a little  image  from  his 
sleeve. 

Hotei  Sama  is  the  patron  saint  of  children  and 
has  eyes  in  the  back  of  his  head — a very  necessary 
arrangement  for  one  who  is  supposed  to  observe 
all  the  actions  of  small  people. 

“Saijiro,”  said  Yenoske,  “we  must  go  after 


78 


KESxV  AND  SAIJIRO. 


supper  to  the  temple  and  make  an  offering  and 
pray.  It  is  not  right  to  set  out  upon  a journey 
without  first  praying  to  the  gods.” 

Saijiro  willingly  assented.  So  after  their  even- 
ing meal  the  two  friends,  with  Ts’koi  at  their 
heels,  went  down  to  the  temple.  Yenoske  stood 
at  the  foot  of  the  steps,  rang  the  bell  which  was 
there,  bowed  his  head,  rubbed  his  hands,  and  re- 
peated a few  words  of  a Buddhist  prayer.  He 
then  threw  a few  bits  of  coin  into  the  money-box. 
Saijiro  followed  his  example  in  every  respect. 
There  were  a number  of  children  playing  about 
the  steps.  The  temple  grounds  are  like  our 
parks.  There  babies  are  taken  for  an  airing, 
there  children  romp,  there  all  the  gossips  congre- 
gate. 

It  was  almost  dark  when  Yenoske  and  Saijira 
returned  to  the  inn.  They  found  Yenoske’s  fa- 
ther and  mother  at  supper,  and  sat  down  upon 
the  floor  beside  them. 

“Be  very  careful  of  the  little  one,”  said  the 
mother,  “and  take  great  care  of  yourself.” 

“ Worship  at  Inari’s  shrine  whenever  you  see 
one,  my  son,”  said  the  father,  “for  the  rice-god 
has  not  been  good  to  us.  There  is  a hard  winter 
ahead.  Baba  will  suffer  with  the  cold.  Her 
stuffed  dress  is  worn  out,  she  has  no  soft  mat  to 
sit  upon,  and  there  is  no  money.” 

Yenoske  said  little,  but  he  purposed  in  his 
heart  to  bring  Baba  a padded  dress  and  a mat.  It 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  HAKONES.  79 

is  hard  to  keep  warm  in  a Japanese  house  when 
the  sun  does  not  shine  in  the  winter.  The  little 
hibachis  do  not  heat  the  rooms  very  well,  and  old 
men  and  women  suffer  with  cold.  Baba’s  face 
looked  pinched  and  wan;  she  had  scarcely  food 
enough  to  nourish  her;  but  she  laughed  as  much 
as  ever  and  always  had  something  pleasant  to  say. 

With  the  first  gleam  of  the  morning  Yenoske 
and  his  companion  were  on  the  road,  travelling 
over  a steep  mountain  path  which  led  by  a round- 
about way  to  Hakone.  Saijiro  started  off  bravely 
and  kept  up  with  Yenoske,  who  went  singing 
along.  In  one  of  the  loveliest  recesses  of  the 
mountain  was  a little  tea-house,  kept  for  the  con- 
venience of  travellers  who  passed  that  way.  A 
bright,  fresh-looking  girl  and  an  old  woman  had 
charge  of  the  place  and  dispensed  tea  and  sweet- 
meats to  chance  guests. 

“Come  and  rest;  come  and  rest,”  they  called 
to  Yenoske. 

He  and  Saijiro  sat  on  a bench  and  had  refresh- 
ments. 

“Where  are  you  going?”  asked  Yen,  the 
girl. 

“Up  to  Hakone  and  down  to  Nagoya,”  an- 
swered Yenoske. 

“ Oh,  a long  way,”  said  the  girl.  “And  the 
little  master  ?” 

“Thanks,  he  is  going  with  me.” 

“A  brave  little  man,”  said  the  old  Baba. 


8o 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


It  was  a wild  place,  a sort  of  glen.  Rocks 
rose  behind  the  tea-house  and  on  two  sides  of  it. 
In  front  was  a tiny  waterfall  like  an  end  of  ribbon 
fluttering  on  the  side  of  the  mountain.  It  was 
almost  too  late  for  flowers,  but  the  changing  Oc- 
tober foliage  made  up  for  the  lack  of  them. 

“Truly,  a nice  place,”  said  Yenoske. 

“The  honorable  grandmother  loves  it,”  said 
the  girl.  “ She  has  been  here  ever  since  she  was 
as  young  as  I am,  and  I expect  to  stay  here  until 
I am  as  old  as  she.  ’ ’ 

Then  the  grandma  laughed  and  showed  her 
toothless  gums. 

The  Japanese  are  very  fond  of  places  like  this 
and  take  great  delight  in  the  beauties  of  nature, 
so  many  persons  stopped  and  chatted  with  Yen 
and  the  old  lady.  They  had  for  refreshments  beau- 
tiful peppermint  cakes,  as  pure  and  white  as  any 
which  are  made  in  this  country,  some  little  cakes 
to  eat  with  tea,  hard-boiled  eggs,  and  some  of  the 
famous  bean  candy.  Everything  was  very  neatly 
arranged,  and  Yen  was  a cheerful  attendant. 

The  tea-house  was  on  the  road  to  the  hot  sul- 
phur springs.  Yenoske  and  Saijiro,  after  saying 
good-by  to  the  girl  and  her  grandmother,  had  not 
far  to  go  before  coming  to  a beautiful  hotel.  The 
wood  about  the  house  had  been  left  in  its  natural 
state  and  was  very  odd  and  grotesque  in  its  ap- 
pearance, being  gnarled,  knotted,  and  twisted  in 
all  sorts  of  peculiar  shapes.  Here  Saijiro  for  the 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  HAKONES.  8 1 

first  time  in  his  life  saw  a chair,  and  he  was 
allowed  not  only  to  examine  it  closely,  but  to  sit 
in  it.  He  saw  sick  people  gathered  at  the  springs, 
some  of  them  covered  with  loathsome  sores.  The 
sulphur  water  is  very  hot  and  conies  hissing  and 
boiling  out  of  the  ground. 

Saijiro  was  tired  in  the  afternoon,  so  Yenoske 
put  him  on  the  horse;  and  thus  they  came  in 
the  early  evening  to  the  village  of  Hakone.  Ye- 
noske was  well  known  there.  He  went  immedi- 
ately to  the  hotel  where  he  was  accustomed  to 
stop.  Arriving,  they  saw  a blind  shampooer,  or 
rubber,  just  passing  the  door.  His  head  was 
shaved.  He  carried  a staff  and  blew  a whistle. 
Behind  him  walked  a coolie  carrying  a stick  over 
one  shoulder,  on  each  end  of  which  was  a large 
bundle  of  paper. 

A woman  sat  on  the  verapda  washing  her  feet. 
One  foot  was  in  a little  tub,  and  she  was  wiping 
the  other  with  a blue  towel.  The  landlady  had 
some  cloth  in  her  hand,  examining  it,  and  another 
woman  was  just  going  up  stairs.  A maid-servant 
was  kneeling  near  the  landlady  and  looking  on 
with  much  interest. 

“Welcome,  Yenoske,”  said  the  landlady  as 
she  saw  him  approaching. 

Yenoske  bowed  low. 

Just  then  the  landlady  spied  poor  little  Saijiro 
asleep  upon  the  horse.  “And  wdio  is  the  young 
master?”  she  asked. 


Kcsa  auJ  Saijiro. 


6 


82 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“Truly,  thanks;  that  is  the  son  of  the  Yama- 
midzn  teacher.  He  is  going  with  me  down  the 
mountain.” 

“He  is  welcome,”  said  she.  And  when  Sai- 
jiro  was  lifted  from  the  horse  she  took  charge  of 
him,  giving  him  a finer  supper  than  he  had  ever 
had  in  all  his  life  before,  pressing  him  to  eat,  until 
for  once  the  child  was  fully  satisfied.  Next  she 
made  him  a bed  in  her  own  room.  There  he  slept 
quietly  until  morning,  never  heeding  the  opening 
and  closing  of  slides,  the  going  and  coming  of 
travellers. 

While  Yenoske  was  sitting  at  the  door  after 
supper  a party  of  travellers  came  up  the  street  in 
sedan-chairs  carried  by  coolies.  As  soon  as  the 
hotel  people  saw  them  they  raised  most  deafening 
cries. 

“ Come  in,  come  in;  come  in  and  rest.  Con- 
descend to  partake  of  our  humble  refreshment.” 

“Honorable  lady,”  said  the  coolies,  address- 
ing one  of  the  party,  “this  is  the  best  hotel  in 
Hakone.” 

“So!”  said  the  lady.  “Then  we  will  stop 
here.” 

From  the  chair  alighted  two  persons,  evi- 
dently mistress  and  servant.  They  went  up  to 
the  other  chair  and  saluted  its  occupant.  The 
lady  spoke. 

“Honorable  grandfather,  we  will  rest  here. 
How  is  your  honorable  health?” 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  HAKONES.  83 

^^DoguP''  said  the  grandfather,  “I  am  very 
cold.” 

‘‘Then,”  said  the  lady,  addressing  the  hotel 
servants,  “ will  you  give  the  respected  old  gentle- 
man a seat  by  the  kitchen  fire-box  and  get  ready 
quickly  a cup  of  tea?” 

Grandfather,  shivering,  was  placed  by  the 
kitchen  fire.  The  lady  and  her  servant  were 
shown  up  the  broad,  slippery  staircase  into  the 
best  room.  The  landlord  came  and  went  down 
before  them  011  hands  and  knees. 

“Truly,  a beautiful  day,”  said  he. 

“Truly,  very  beautiful,”  the  lady  answered. 

“And  how  far  have  you  travelled?” 

“ Thanks,  from  Tokio.” 

“The  honorable  grandfather,  how  old  is 
he?” 

“Truly,  thanks.  The  respected  parent  is 
seventy-nine  years.” 

‘ ‘ A great  age.  And  what,  ’ ’ said  the  landlord, 
“ will  you  condescend  to  order?” 

" “We  will  take  fish,  eggs,  and  rice.  The  old 
gentleman  will  have  soup.” 

The  meal  was  soon  served.  Grandfather  had 
a futon  near  the  fire,  and  after  taking  a picture  of 
a Buddhist  god  from  his  sleeve  and  mumbling  a 
prayer,  he  went  to  sleep. 

The  next  morning  Yenoske  and  Saijiro  saw 
these  travellers  get  into  their  kagos^  which  the 
coolies  lifted  and  carried  away.  The  lady  was 


84 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Kesa’s  aunt,  on  her  way  to  her  home  in  Na- 
goya, the  great  city  beyond  the  Hakones. 

Yenoske  lingered  in  Hakone  for  a day,  that 
Saijiro  might  see  the  lake  there.  The  child  had 
never  seen  so  large  a body  of  water.  To  go  out 
in  a real  boat  was  a great  pleasure.  It  was  much 
better  than  pushing  a log  about  the  pond  at  Ya- 
inamidzu. 

Hakone  is  indeed  a beautiful  place,  famous  in 
Japan  for  its  sulphur  springs  and  fine  scenery. 
Sick  and  feeble  people  go  from  all  over  the  coun- 
try to  bathe  in  its  waters.  Long  promontories  jut 
out  into  the  lake.  The  little  village  lies  prettily 
beside  it.  The  wonder  of  it  all  is  to  find  a large 
lake  high  among  the  mountains.  There,  too, 
side  by  side  are  hot  and  cold  springs. 

Saijiro  had  a happy  day  at  Hakone.  But 
next  morning  none  of  the  kind  landlady’s  persua- 
sions could  induce  him  to  eat  any  breakfast. 
Even  the  old  gate  at  Hakone,  about  which  Ye- 
noske had  told  such  pretty  stories,  failed  to  in- 
terest him. 

Ill  ancient  times,  Yenoske  said,  nobles  who 
went  up  to  the  court  of  the  Shogun  had  to 
part  with  their  wives  and  little  children  at 
the  gate,  because,  for  a time,  the  Government 
would  not  permit  a noble’s  family  to  live  in  the 
capital. 

But  Saijiro  would  not  look  at  the  gate.  Great 
trees  waved  their  branches  over  him  and  the 


JINRIKISHA  TRAVELLERS 


ON  THK  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  HAKONES.  85 

late  wild-flowers  smiled  at  him  in  vain.  He 
walked  listlessly  along  and  at  last  began  to  cry. 

Yenoske  lifted  him  on  the  horse.  Even  that 
did  not  help  matters.  His  head  rolled  about.  He 
felt  giddy  and  sick.  He  was  in  a high  fever,  and 
Yenoske’ s heart  was  very  heavy. 

At  last  Yenoske  lifted  the  little  boy  down 
from  the  horse  and  laid  him  on  the  ground.  He 
got  some  things  from  the  pack  and  made  a bed 
by  the  wayside.  He  wet  his  handkerchief  at  a 
little  spring  near  by  and  laid  it  on  Saijiro’s  head. 
The  child  tossed  and  moaned. 

Some  fine  people  passed  by  in  kagos^  never 
stopping  to  see  what  ailed  a poor  pack-horse  dri- 
ver and  his  little  comrade.  At  last  Yenoske 
walked  down  the  road  to  see  if  he  could  find  help. 
In  a few  moments,  hearing  voices  and  following 
the  direction  of  these  sounds,  he  came  upon  a 
group  of  three  persons.  A jinrikisha  man  was 
sitting  in  his  cart;  near  him  were  two  women, 
one  sitting  on  the  ground,  the  other  leaning 
against  a post.  Yenoske  hastened  towards  them, 
and  they  all  bowed. 

‘ ‘ Dogu  r ’ said  Y enoske,  ‘ ‘ I am  very  sad.  ’ ’ 
The  man  asked  why. 

Dogu!  I have  my  master’s  little  son  with 
me,  and  he  is  lying  on  the  roadside  very  ill.” 
Then  the  man  got  up  from  his  cart,  and  with 
the  women  accompanied  Yenoske  to  the  spot  where 
Saijiro  lay  in  a heavy  sleep,  Ts’koi  by  his  side. 


86 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


said  the  jinrikiya^  “truly,  a fine 
child.”  And  he  added,  “Bring  him  to  our  vil- 
lage, and  we  will  get  a doctor.” 

Saijiro  was  lifted  into  the  jinrikisha,  and  they 
all  went  off  the  main  road  into  a village.  Here 
the  hotel  was  a poor  one,  dirty  and  ill-kept.  A 
fire  blazed  on  some  stones  in  the  kitchen,  and 
over  the  fire  hung  a kettle.  An  old  woman  sat 
near  the  fire,  and  beside  her  was  a man  smoking. 
Another  man  was  repairing  his  straw  sandals  as 
he  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  kitchen  floor,  which  was 
raised  from  the  ground.  A traveller  was  just 
passing  the  hotel.  He  wore  a broad-brimmed  hat 
and  carried  a staff.  Behind  him  walked  a girl 
who  evidently  made  some  attempt  at  style. 

“Come  and  rest,  come  and  rest,”  said  the 
landlady,  when  she  saw  Saijiro  and  Yenoske. 
Then  accosting  the  she  asked,  “ Who  is 

this?” 

The  jinrikiya  said,  “ I found  them  in  the 
mountain,  and  the  little  one  is  very  sick.” 

“Where  is  the  doctor?”  asked  Yenoske,  ma- 
king his  bows. 

Saijiro  was  carried  into  the  house,  and  the 
village  doctor  came.  He  had  a case  of  medicines 
with  him.  He  sat  on  the  floor,  looking-  very 
wise.  Then  he  went  through  the  process  of  cup- 
ping Saijiro,  put  medicated  paper  upon  the 
child’s  temples,  and  gave  him  some  powders. 
The  next  morning,  to  Yenoske’s  great  joy,  Saijiro 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  HAKONES.  8/ 

was  himself  again,  and  the  pair  went  on  their 
way  down  the  mountain. 

At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  there  is  a large 
town  called  Mishima.  A stream  passes  through 
it,  cold  and  clear,  running  bright  and  rippling  to 
join  the  river  which  is  to  carry  it  down  to  the 
sea.  A lovely  grove  is  there  also,  and  in  the 
grove  a temple.  It  is  always  dark  in 'the  grove; 
the  shade  of  the  trees  is  very  dense.  Saijiro 
thought  it  a very  solemn  place  as  he  and  Yenoske 
approached  the  temple.  For  Yenoske  had  vowed 
that  if  Saijiro  should  get  well  he  would  repeat  a 
certain  prayer  two  hundred  times.  He  was  now 
going  to  fulfil  his  vow.  He  had  some  beans  in 
his  hand,  bought  from  a man  near  the  temple, 
and  every  time  he  said  a prayer  he  dropped  a 
bean  into  a box.  “ Amida  Dai  Butsu,  Amida 
Dai  Bntsu,”  said  Yenoske  over  and  over,  as  he 
paced  the  stone  walk  leading  up  to  the  temple. 
When  he  had  repeated  these  words  two  hundred 
times  his  vow  was  fulfilled,  and  he  went  to  look 
for  Saijiro.  The  horse  was  the  only  one  of  the 
trio  he  could  find.  The  boy  and  dog  were  gone. 

Yenoske,  searching  anxiously  around,  soon 
discovered  that  there  was  a great  commotion  in 
the  town.  Men,  women,  and  children  were  rush- 
ing down  the  street,  apparently  in  pursuit  of 
some  one.  Several  of  the  women  had  babies  on 
their  backs,  and  the  poor  babies’  heads  were  rolh 
ing  from  side  to  side.  Many  of  the  children  cried 


88 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


with  fright,  and  one  sturdy  urchin  lay  screaming 
on  the  ground.  Yenoske  joined  in  the  chase,  not 
so  much  for  the  sake  of  seeinof  what  was  o^oiiiQ;  on 
as  for  the  purpose  of  finding  Saijiro. 

‘ ‘ What  is  it  ?’  ’ he  asked  of  a breathless 
neighbor. 

“ A foreigner  !”  gasped  the  man. 

Yenoske  felt  a sense  of  relief,  but  kept  on.  At 
last  the  foremost  runner  reached  the  hotel,  and 
there  those  that  were  nearest  to  the  foreigner  saw 
him  alight  from  a jinrikisha  and  take  his  seat  on 
the  kitchen  floor,  which,  being  slightly  raised, 
gave  him  the  privilege  of  putting  his  feet  on  the 
ground. 

All  the  servants  of  the  hotel  shouted,  “ Come 
and  rest.  Come  in,  come  in.’^ 

After  a parley  with  the  landlord,  to  which  the 
crowd  listened  eagerly,  the  stranger  was  taken  up 
stairs.  The  slides  were  drawn,  and  the  multitude 
beheld  him  no  more. 

Now  Yenoske  spied  Saijiro  with  several  other 
urchins  in  the  courtyard  of  the  hotel.  Immedi- 
ately the  little  boy  ran  to  tell  Yenoske  about  the 
wonderful  stranger. 

“ I have  seen  him  ! I have  seen  the  foreigner ! 
How  white  his  skin  is,  how  strange  his  hair,  and 
what  funny  clothes  he  wears ! I never  saw  any- 
thing like  it  before,  Yenoske.  Does  he  sit  in  a 
chair,  and  eat  with  a knife  and  fork  like  those 
we  saw  in  the  hotel?” 


ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE  OF  THE  HAKONES.  89 

So  Saijiro  was  much  excited  over  the  foreign- 
er, and  when,  the  next  morning,  he  actually 
walked  beside  the  jinrikisha  for  a short  distance, 
and  the  gentleman  looked  at  him  and  gave  him  a 
little  book,  he  felt  very  happy,  and  stored  all 
these  things  in  his  mind  to  tell  old  Baba. 

The  pleasant  morning  changed  into  a dull, 
rainy  day.  Yenoske  wrapped  Saijiro  up  in  oiled 
paper,  put  a broad-brimmed  hat  on  him,  and 
placed  him  on  the  horse.  Yenoske  himself  had 
on  his  straw  rain-coat.  The  hampers  containing 
wooden  articles  were  also  covered  with  paper. 
Every  person  they  met  was  similarly  provided 
for.  Great  umbrellas  sheltered  women  and  chil- 
dren, while  their  high  wooden  getas  kept  them 
out  of  the  mud.  Saijiro  thought  it  fun  to  see 
these  women  running  through  the  rain,  holding 
umbrellas  over  their  babies,  securely  fastened  in 
their  outside  garments.  The  babies  peeped  over 
their  mothers’  shoulders  with  bright  black  eyes. 
He  pitied  the  beggars  who  lay  almost  naked 
along  the  roadside.  They  asked  Yenoske  for 
money  as  he  passed;  but  money  was  scarce 
enough,  and  he  had  little  to  spare.  Meanwhile 
the  foreigner  was  shut  up  tight  in  his  jinrikisha 
and  saw  but  little  of  the  country. 

So  the  day  passed,  with  rain  coming  down 
drearily.  Yenoske  and  Saijiro  stopped  a little 
while  at  noon  for  rest  and  food,  and  then  went  on 
to  the  place  where  they  were  to  lodge  for  the 


90 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


night.  Here  a pleasant  surprise  awaited  Saijiro: 
the  foreign  gentleman  was  to  put  up  at  the  same 
hotel.  The  boy  heard  him  utter  a few  Japanese 
words  and  could  tell  that  he  spoke  kindly  to  the 
servants  who  waited  on  him. 

The  large  city  which  they  entered  after  several 
days’  further  travel  was  Nagoya.  Saijiro  had 
never  seen  so  important  a place  before.  He  was 
never  weary  of  looking  at  its  castle  and  the  im- 
mense gold-fish  in  the  towers.  He  wondered  at 
the  great  temple;  its  idols  were  far  finer  than 
those  in  the  old  temple  at  Yamamidzu.  The 
shops  and  houses,  too,  were  grand  in  his  eyes. 
Then  the  people  ! The  child  had  never  known 
that  there  were  so  many  in  the  world.  lie  went 
to  the  theatre,  saw  the  acrobats  perform,  and  Ye- 
noske  also  took  him  to  see  some  wrestlers. 

Yenoske  disposed  of  his  woodenware,  the 
money  for  which  he  carefully  hid  in  his  dress. 
Yet  he  did  not  forget  to  procure  a warm  wadded 
gown  for  old  Baba  to  wear  and  a cushion  for  her 
to  sit  upon.  He  also  bought  some  clothing  for 
his  father  and  mother.  Dogu  P''  he  said,  “I 
wish  I could  get  a garment  for  every  person  in 
the  village,  Saiji.  I fear  the  people  will  suffer 
through  the  long  cold  winter.” 

Indeed,  when  after  several  weeks  Yenoske  and 
Saijiro  returned  to  the  village,  snow  had  already 
fallen  on  the  Hakones;  winter  had  begun. 
Dreary  enough  it  was  in  Yamamidzu  through  the 


ON  THE  OrilER  SIDE  OF  THE  HAKONES.  9 1 

cold  season.  Only  occasionally,  when  the  sun 
shone,  did  Baba  get  out  of  the  house.  Most  of  the 
time  she  sat  on  the  floor  beside  the  hibachi^  often 
holding  her  poor  cold  hands  over  the  coals.  Many 
were  the  stories  she  told  Yenoske  and  Saijiro 
about  Old  Japan,  the  Japan  of  her  younger  days, 
before  foreigners  came.  For  Baba,  although  in- 
terested in  hearing  about  foreigners,  believed  in 
her  heart  that  they  were  in  some  mysterious  man- 
ner connected  with  the  failure  of  the  rice  crop  in 
Japan.  She  chought  the  gods  were  showing  their 
displeasure  against  the  Japanese  by  blighting  the 
crop. 

The  teacher  had  returned,  and  the  school  went 
on  during  the  winter.  Saijiro  was  among  the 
scholars.  He  showed  his  father  the  book  which 
the  gentleman  had  given  him.  It  was  in  Eng- 
lish, and  the  master  could  not  read  it.  But  there 
was  in  it  a picture  on  which  the  master  often 
gazed.  A man  hung  on  a cross,  with  a look  of 
wonderful  love  in  his  eyes. 

“ Who  is  it,  Yenoske?”  he  asked  one  day. 

Dogu  said  Yenoske,  “ I do  not  know  very 
well,  but  I believe  it  is  Jesus,  one  of  the  gods  of 
the  Christians.” 

The  master’s  next  question  was  uttered  deep 
in  his  own  heart  only:  “Can  he  forgive  sin? 
Can  he  forgive  sin?” 


92 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


•CHAPTER  IX. 

RINJIRO’S  QUESTION. 

Kesa  and  Rinjiro  had  been  working  merrily 
all  day,  getting  ready  for  the  festivities  of  the  New 
Year.  Kesa  was  in  her  eighth  year,  a bright,  ac- 
tive little  maiden;  and  Rinjiro  had  developed  into 
a manly  boy.  Both  children  went  to  school. 

Chiye  and  Kesa,  every  morning  as  they  went 
down  the  street,  were  sure  to  find  Rinjiro  waiting 
for  them  at  the  yashiki  gate. 

Servants  took  the  oranges  and  berries  which 
the  children  handed  them  and  fastened  them  over 
the  doors.  There  were  pretty  flowers,  too,  and 
ornaments  of  bamboo  and  straw,  symbolical  of 
long  life  and  prosperity. 

“I  am  eight  years  old,”  said  Rinjiro.  “I 
shall  go  to  another  school  before  long,  Kechan.” 

Kesa  looked  sorry.  How  she  would  miss 
him  ! 

But  no  shadow  of  any  parting  troubled  her 
when  the  New  Year  came.  She  and  Rinjiro, 
dressed  in  bright  new  clothes  and  the  recipients 
of  numberless  toys,  exchanged  Japanese  greetings 
of  the  season. 

“A  great  happiness.  Truly,  the  spring  has 
come.  A great  happiness  !” 


RINJIRO’S  QUESTION. 


93 


Then  away  went  Kesa  to  play  ball  with  the 
girls,  while  Rinjirc  ran  with  other  boys  to  fly  his 
new  kite.  But  his  head,  as  he  tried  to  watch  that 
gaudy  paper  butterfly  mounting  towards  the  sky, 
felt  strangely  heavy.  By-and-by  he  went  crying 
to  his  mother.  He  was  burning  with  fever. 

Poor  Aka ! Days  passed,  and  the  fever  still 
burned.  Her  little  boy  tossed  on  his  pallet.  The 
hope  in  her  heart  grew  fainter  and  fainter.  She 
sat  by  his  side  weeping,  her  hair  dishevelled. 
Yet  she  tried  constantly  to  cool  his  head  and 
soothe  his  wild  ravings.  She  vowed  an  offering 
to  the  gods,  the  best  of  her  earthly  possessions,  if 
her  boy,  her  merry  Rinjiro,  were  spared.  She 
called  and  called  upon  the  gods  to  spare  him;  but 
it  was  of  no  avail.  The  doctor  cupped  and  blis- 
tered and  administered  his  powders  in  vain.  A 
dark,  dreary  day  was  just  drawing  to  its  close. 
Aka  was  sitting  in  her  usual  place,  putting  a wet 
cloth  on  the  boy’s  hot  head,  when  the  slides  of 
the  room  were  pushed  gently  aside,  and  Kesa 
crept  in  softly  and  sat  down  beside  her. 

“Is  Rinjiro  better?”  she  asked. 

Dog2i!  no;  Rinjiro  is  going  to  die,  Kechan.” 
“But  cannot  the  great  god  Bind^^uru  help 
him,  Aka?” 

Aka  shook  her  head  sorrowfully.  ''''  Dogu  ! I 
have  prayed  and  prayed,  and  called  upon  the  gods 
night  and  day,  Kechan,  but  they  will  not  hear.” 
Aka  rocked  backward  and  forward  in  her  an- 


94 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


guish.  Kesa  wept  in  sympathy;  but  Rinjiro  lay 
unconscious  of  all  this  love  and  suffering.  Then 
IMeguchi  came  and  took  Kesa  away.  She  was 
frightened  when  she  found  the  child  by  Rinjiro’ s 
side,  breathing  that  tainted  air. 

Darker  and  darker  grew  the  room.  One  of 
t\iQ  yas/nki  women  brought  a lantern.  Baba  came 
and  offered  Aka  a cup  of  tea  and  some  rice,  but 
she  refused  everything.  A priest  arrived  and 
mumbled  some  prayers  over  the  sick  child,  but 
Aka  would  not  listen  to  him.  So  passed  the  dark 
night.  The  river  rolled  on  sullenly  towards  the 
sea.  The  wind  blew.  The  waters  of  the  bay 
were  rough  and  wild.  Few  fishermen  ventured 
out  that  night.  The  temple  bells  and  drums, 
sounding  solemnly  through  the  still  hours,  were 
like  mockery  to  Aka’s  heart.  She  knew  that 
worshippers  were  calling  on  the  gods  who  would 
not  listen  to  her  cries  and  before  whom  her  tears 
were  of  no  avail.  Just . at  daybreak  Rinjiro 
gazed  into  Aka’s  face  with  a conscious  look  in  his 
eyes,  the  first  for  many  days. 

“Honorable  mother,  am  I very  sick?”  he 
asked. 

DogiL  ! yes,  my  darling.”  • 

“ But  must  I die,  mother?” 

Dogu  ! I fear  you  must,  my  darling.” 

“Then,  mother,  why  was  I born?” 

Oh  ! if  Aka  had  only  known  that  not  far  from 
her  there  were  those  who  had  been  sent  to  ex- 


RINJIRO’S  QUESTION. 


95 


plain  the  mystery  of  life  and  death.  They  might 
have  told  the  dying  little  one  how  our  Heavenly 
Father  places  ns  here  to  live  our  appointed  time, 
be  it  long  or  short,  and  gives  us  this  life  in  which 
to  prepare  for  a better  one.  They  might  have 
knelt  beside  this  dying  bed  and  commended  this 
soul  to  the  Good  Shepherd,  who  loves  his  lambs 
and  gave  his  own  life  for  them.  But  these  teach- 
ers did  not  know  of  Rinjiro;  and  long  afterwards 
kind  hearts  were  pained  to  hear  of  the  little  boy 
who  had  died  asking,  “Mother,  why  was  I 
born?” 

The  pretty  kites  which  had  been  given  to  Rin- 
jiro for  the  New  Year  lay  all  untouched  in  one 
corner  of  the  room.  The  new  dresses  and  shoes 
were  all  unworn.  The  active,  eager  child  would 
never  again  be  seen  playing  about  the  yashiki  or 
waiting  for  Kesa  at  the  gate.  Rinjiro  was  dead. 
The  little  body,  prepared  for  the  grave,  was 
placed  in  a sitting  posture  in  the  coffin.  Books, 
playthings,  and  money  were  buried  with  him. 

“ He  may  need  them  in  the  other  world,”  said 
Aka. 

Kesa,  with  the  other  mourners,  followed  the 
little  ooffin  to  the  temple.  She  felt  very  solemn. 
Rinjiro  had  gone  away — where  she  did  not  know, 
and  no  one  seemed  to  know. 

The  coffin  was  placed  on  the  altar,  amid 
lights  and  artificial  flowers.  Priests  mumbled 
prayers  over  it.  Then  Rinjiro  was  laid  to  rest  in 


KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


96 

the  Buddhist  cemetery  and  a new  name  was 
written  on  his  tomb. 

Aka  expected  now  to  go  back  to  her  parents, 
but  for  some  reason  her  husband  did  not  send  her 
away.  He  adopted  a young  man  to  succeed  him 
in  his  business,  and  he  brought  home  another  wo- 
man to  be  a wife  to  him.  This  woman  twitted 
and  teased  Aka  as  of  old  Hagar  taunted  Sarah, 
Abraham’s  wife.  Aka’s  tears  fell  like  the  rain 
and  she  had  no  peace. 

After  the  funeral  Kesa  went  and  sat  down  by 
Hana’s  side.  '‘Who  will  take  care  of  Rinjiro 
now  ?”  she  asked  of  the  weary,  restless  child,  who 
was  lying  in  her  mother’s  room  beside  the  hibachi, 

“The  honorable  mother  tells  me  of  the  good 
hotoke  ]izo  who  takes  care  of  little  children  when 
they  go  into  paradise,”  said  Hana. 

‘ ' Aka  prayed  and  prayed  to  the  gods  to  make 
Rinjiro  well,  Hana.  And  you  and  the  honorable 
mother  ask  them  every  day  to  make  your  eyes 
better.  I’m  not  going  to  pray,  sister.  The  gods 
never  listen.  ’ ’ 

“Oh,  Kesa,”  said  Hana,  “you  don’t  know 
what  you  are  talking  about.  The  gods  are  angry, 
and  I must  pray  a great  many  times  before  they 
will  hear  me.  I have  said  Shaka  Sama’s  name 
over  five  hundred  limes  to-day.  I counted  the 
times  on  my  beads.  The  holy  Daruma  spent 
nine  years  on  his  knees,  and  Shaka  Sama’s  dis- 
ciples had  long  patience  before  they  became 


RINJIRO’S  QUESTION. 


97 


Buddhas.  And  some  of  the  hotokcs^  like  the  g-od 
Jizo,  have  been  thousands  of  years  on  the  way  to 
perfection.  The  honorable  mother  quiets  my 
pain  by  telling  me  of  the  holy  life  and  deeds  of 
Shaka  Sama.  I should  like  to  be  with  the  gods 
in  paradise,  Kechan.” 

“What  would  you  do  there?”  asked  Kesa. 
To  this  healthy,  merry  child  death  seemed  a long 
way  off  and  paradise  vague  enough. 

Hana  merely  answered,  “ I am  going  to  think 
all  the  time  of  the  holy  Buddha.” 

But  Kesa’s  little  heart  found  no  satisfying  an- 
swer to  its  deep  questioning.  Rinjiro  had  gone 
away.  Why?  Where?  Would  she  ever  see 
him  again?  One  day  late  in  February  of  that 
same  year  the  slides  of  Aka’s  room  were  pushed 
softly  back  and  Kesa’s  bright  face  appeared. 
Aka  dearly  loved  the  child,  her  Rinjiro’s  little 
playmate  and  his  affianced  bride. 

“Aka,’'  said  she,  “the  honorable  mother 
sends  you  these  cherry-blossoms  and  wishes  you 
to  go  with  us  to  ‘see  flowers’  to-morrow.” 

It  was  the  season  of  the  year  when  Japan  is 
full  of  blossoms,  the  time  when  the  peach  and 
plum  trees  bloom,  the  time  of  festivity,  merri- 
ment, song,  and  dance. 

Poor  Aka  shook  her  head,  but  the  little  one 
still  pleaded. 

“ Please,  Aka,  condescend  to  accompany  us. 
Honorable  mother  sends  her  compliments.  We 

Kc-iri  an  1 Satjiro.  '1 


93 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


are  to  go  in  a liouse-boat  down  the  canals  and  up 
the  river  to  Mukojima.” 

“lyast  year,”  answered  Aka  sadly.  “Rinjiro 
was  here.  He  walked  beside  us  and  held  my 
hand.  Now  I cannot  go  without  him.  Thank 
the  honorable  mother  and  sisters,  darling.  Dogu  ! 
thanks,  thanks.” 

So  all  the  next  day,  while  the  Fujisawas  were 
on  the  water  or  under  the  cherry  trees  at  Muko- 
jima, Aka  sat  in  her  room  mourning  for  her  lost 
boy. 

Kesa  was  very  happy  seated  on  top  of  a house- 
boat with  Chiye  and  her  father  beside  her.  They 
were  not  allowed  to  go  out  much,  these  carefully 
trained  children  of  Fujisawa’s,  and  were  always 
interested  in  what  they  saw.  Indeed  any  one 
might  have  enjoyed  the  scene  that  morning. 
There  were  so  many  boats  on  the  narrow  canals 
that  collisions  were  frequent.  Then  the  sailors 
with  their  long  poles  would  push  the  boats  apart, 
making  a deafening  noise  the  while.  Sometimes 
the  Fujisawas  would  pass  a boat  containing  a 
party  of  their  friends  and  would  exchange  pleas- 
ant greetings,  mostly  about  the  weather  and  sweet 
spring  flowers. 

“What  a large  boat!”  suddenly  said  Chiye. 
“And  what  fine  ladies  are  coming  down  the 
steps.” 

They  were  passing  a yashiki^  and  the  ladies 
were  daughters  of  one  of  the  old-time  nobles. 


RINJIRO’S  question!  99 

They  were  dre-ssed  in  handsome  silks  and  crapes. 
Servants  carried  immense*  umbrellas  over  them. 
Behind  them  were  other  attendants  who  carried 
lunch-boxes  and  tea-caddies.  They  were  evident- 
ly going  to  have  a great  feast  somewhere.  On 
swept  the  boat  down  the  great  tidal  canals,  so 
full  of  life  that  morning.  The  merry  people 
were  singing  and  dancing,  with  their  heads  keep- 
ing time  to  music,  or  telling  jokes  and  stories. 

Little  Hana  lay  on  her  pallet  in  the  boat  look- 
ing out  upon  the  water  and  holding  in  her  hands 
a bunch  of  fair  white  blossoms.  Mitsu  sat  beside 
her.  Childhood  for  Mitsu  was  over,  and  there  is 
no  golden  period  of  girlhood  in  Japan. 

Mitsu,”  said  Hana,  “Aka  would  not  come 
to  see  flowers  because  Rinjiro  is  dead.  Do  you 
think  the  gods  have  flowers  in  paradise?” 

''''  Dogu  r''  said  Mitsu,  on  whose  heart  a dark 
shadow  was  falling,  “I  do  not  know.  We  cannot 
get  into  paradise  for  a long  time;  not  for  thou- 
sands of  years,  perhaps.  And  if  we  are  wicked, 
we  shall  come  back  to  the  earth  a worm  or  a dog 
or  a poor  bug.  ’ ’ 

Hana  looked  sorrowful. 

“What  are  you  saying  to  the  child?”  asked 
the  mother  almost  angrily.  She  could  not  bear 
to  see  a cloud  over  her  darling’s  face.  So  the 
conversation  dropped. 

By-and-by  they  entered  Yedo  Bay,  and  Fuji- 
sawa said,  “ There  is  the  custom-house,  and  there 


lOO  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

are  the  houses  where  the  honorable  foreigners 
live.” 

The  boats  danced  merrily  over  the  bay.  Chiye 
and  Kesa,  looking  towards  the  south,  could  see 
the  forts  built  when  Com.  Perry  arrived  off  the 
coast.  To  the  north  was  the  river;  to  the  east 
the  fishermen’s  island,  Skudajiwa;  and  to  the 
west  the  great  city,  with  the  long  dark  line  of  the 
Hakones  behind  it,  and  back  of  them  still  Mt.  Fuji. 

As  they  passed  the  mission-houses  they  saw  a 
lady  with  a little  girl  standing  on  the  veranda 
watching  the  boats — the  missionary’s  wife  and 
her  little  daughter  Marion.  But  they  were  not 
allowed  time  to  see  anything  long.  Up  the  river 
they  went,  under  the  bridges,  over  the  bright 
laughing  waters,  beside  the  daimios\  or  nobles’, 
homes,  past  trees  bending  over  the  water  with 
crows  cawing  in  their  branches,  now  catching  a 
glimpse  of  some  great  temple  roof,  now  delighted 
with  a great  mass  of  flowers,  as  some  cherry  or 
peach  swept  its  blossoms  over  the  boat. 

When  they  came  to  the  landing  the  sailors 
fastened  the  boat  to  the  shore  and  they  all  scram- 
bled out.  A beautiful  road,  sloping  gradually  from 
the  water,  led  to  the  “ cherry-tree  walk.”  This  is 
a lovely  avenue  with  cherry-trees  on  one  side  and 
peach-trees  on  the  other.  Fujisawa  led  his  fam- 
ily to  some  benches  under  the  trees  and  ordered 
tea. 

They  took  some,  but  it  was  bitter  and  they 


rin'jiro^s  question.  ioi 

did  not  like  it  very  well.  Then  np  came  a man 
with  flowers,  sweet  blossoms  from  the  trees. 

A few  copper  cash  bought  as  many  of  the 
blossoms  as  they  cared  for.  Kesa  and  Chiye, 
leaving  the  flowers,  walked  with  Meguchi  down 
the  avenue.  Kesa ' missed  her  little  playmate 
Rinjiro,  who  was  always  so  merry  on  festival 
days;  and  she  and  Chiye  thought  often  of  Aka. 
But,  like  all  children,  they  were  not  sad  long, 
and  laughed  with  Meguchi,  enjoying  the  gay 
scenes.  At  noon  they  went  to  an  eel  restaurant, 
where  Fujisawa  ordered  eels  broiled  on  skewers 
for  them  all,  with  the  usual  accompaniments  of 
rice,  radishes,  and  tea.  It  was  a real  feast  for  the 
children  and  they  enjoyed  it  greatly. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  they  crept  into  the  boat 
again,  Chiye  and  Kesa  getting  inside  with  the 
others.  The  tide  was  with  them  and  they  re- 
turned rapidly.  The  oarsmen  had  nothing  to  do 
but  to  guide  the  boat.  The  moon  was  just  rising 
when  they  reached  their  home. 

“Truly,  thanks,”  said  the  children  to  their 
father;  “ we  have  had  a happy  day.” 

Fujisawa  went  to  smoke  in  the  upper  room. 
He  was  not  altogether  satisfied  about  his  children. 
Deep  in  his  heart  he  longed  for  something  better 
than  the  old  ways  of  Japan  afforded  them.  But 
still  he  shrank  from  putting  them  under  the  direct 
influence  of  foreigners,  especially  the  Christians. 
There  was  a school  for  girls  in  connection  with 


102  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

the  Government  school.  Why  not  send  Chive 
and  Kesa  to  that  ? 

Ivater  in  the  spring  an  invitation  to  Aka  to  ac- 
company Mrs.  Fujisawa,  Mitsu,  and  Kesa  to 
Inoshima,  Kamakura,  and  Dai  Butsu  was  eagerly 
accepted.  Aka  was  so  glad  to  have  an  opportuni- 
ty to  worship  before  the  great  image  of  Buddha 
and  offer  flowers  and  fruits  upon  the  altar  there. 

Kesa  was  happy  at  the  prospect  of  a journey 
in  the  cars  to  the  great  foreign  city  Yokohama, 
and  looked  forward  with  anticipations  of  pleasure 
to  the  day  of  starting. 

She  was  almost  frightened,  though,  by  the 
rapid  motion  of  the  cars,  and  at  first  clung  to  her 
mother’s  dress.  Soon,  however,  growung  braver, 
she  enjoyed  the  view  from  the  window.  They 
passed  rapidly  through  the  fields  and  villages 
which  lie  between  Tokio  and  Yokohama.  They 
were  soon  in  the  latter  city,  for  it  is  only  an 
hour’s  ride.  There  they  spent  the  day  at  a 
friend’s  house,  so  as  to  start  early  the  next  morn- 
ing for  Inoshima. 

Kesa  enjoyed  a jinrikisha  ride  on  the  “ Bluff,” 
where  so  many  of  the  foreigners  reside.  She 
thought  the  houses  very  grand  and  the  little 
English  children  on  donkeys  very  pretty,  with 
their  long  fair  hair  under  broad-brimmed  hats. 
Her  mother  pointed  out  to  her  the  consulates, 
postoffice,  and  fine  shops.  Kesa  had  never  seen 
such  grand  things  in  all  her  life  before. 


RINJIRO’S  QUESTION.  IO3 

The  next  day  they  took  jinrikishas  and  went 
over  the  fields  to  Inoshiina,  a beautiful  peninsula 
on  the  coast  dedicated  to  the  goddess  Benten  Sa- 
ina.  They  stopped  often  during  the  day,  so  that 
it  was  evening  before  they  crossed  the  sandy 
isthmus  which  connects  the  peninsula  with  the 
mainland.  Inoshima  was  lovely  in  the  light  of 
the  evening  sun.  “Truly  beautiful!’’  “For 
the  first  time!”  “Wonderful!”  These  were 
some  of  the  exclamations  of  the  Tokio  ladies. 

The  sea  broke  along  the  shore,  thundering  on 
the  rocks  in  some  places  and  dancing  in  bright 
ripples  up  to  the  shore  in  other  places.  Some 
naked  children,  standing  in  the  shadows  of  the 
rocks,  were  catching  crabs. 

The  ladies  left  their  jinrikishas  at  the  foot  of 
the  one  steep  street  of  the  village.  They  paid  the 
coolies,  received  their  thanks,  and  went  to  one  of 
the  hotels.  After  their  supper  of  fish  and  rice 
they  sat  at  the  open  window  and  looked  out  on 
the  ocean.  Very  early  in  the  morning,  before 
sunrise,  they  were  all  on  the  beach,  waiting  to 
worship  the  sun  when  it  came  up  out  of  the 
sea.  As  it  appeared,  mounting  above  the 
red  and  golden  waters,  they  bowed  their  heads 
in  adoration.  A missionary  looking  from  his 
slides  saw  the  group  upon  the  sands,  the 
three  women  and  the  little  child,  and  thought 
with  sadness  of  their  ignorance;  but  even  then 
the  thought  was  in  his  heart,  “Would  that 


104 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO.  ' 

sucli  reverence  and  fervor  always  characterized 
the  worship  rendered  to  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness !” 

What  a grand  ride  Kesa  and  all  of  them  had 
that  morning  along  the  shore  to  Dai  Butsu!  The 
waves  dashed  headlong  over  the  land.  Kesa 
shrank  back  whenever  one  came  too  near  and 
was  afraid  of  being  swept  away.  But  the  coolies 
knew  their  business  well  and  brought  them  up 
safely  to  the  great  bronze  image.  Kesa  wor- 
shipped reverently  with  the  others,  all  of  them 
chanting,  “Amida  Dai  Butsu,  Amida  Dai 
Butsu.’’  They  also  placed  flowers  before  the 
idol,  which  looked  down  upon  them  calm  and 
dignified,  as  it  had  done  upon  worshippers  for 
many  long  years. 

A pretty  ride  through  the  rice-fields  brought 
them  to  Kamakura,  from  Yoritomo’s  time  to  1333 
the  Shoguns’  capital,  where  they  saw  many  relics 
of  Yoritomo  and  visited  his  grave. 

These  were  pleasant  days  for  Mrs.  Fujisawa, 
Mitsu,  and  Kesa.  Aka  was  happier  than  she  had 
been  since  Rinjiro’s  death.  Hana  heard  all  about 
it  when  they  were  at  home  again.  The  grand 
image  had  been  her  dream  by  night  and  day,  and 
she  longed  to  see  it  for  herself. 


JAPANESE  CARPENTERS. 


SKEING  BUDDHA’S  FACE. 


IQ: 


CHAPTER  X. 

seeing  BUDDHA’S  FACE. 

Spring  had  come  on  the  Hakones,  too.  The 
P^ujisawa  children  could  see  that  there  was  less 
snow  on  them  as  they  looked  at  them  from  their 
garden. 

There  were  several  boys  of  Saijiro’s  size  in 
Yamamid^u.  Chintaro,  the  barber’s  boy,  was  an 
especial  friend,  with  his  rosy  cheeks,  sparkling 
eyes,  and  fun-loving  nature.  Mantaro,  the  car- 
penter’s son,  was  noted  for  his  acrobatic  perform- 
ances. His  greatest  delight  was  to  propel  a board 
down  to  the  very  edge  of  the  cataract,  jump  from 
it  into  the  raging  river,  and  after  battling  with 
the  strong  current  for  a time,  to  the  terror  of 
spectators,  suddenly  reappear  on  the  bank,  drip- 
ping, and  grinning  from  ear  to  ear.  He  was  the 
best  stilt-walker  and  kite-flyer  in  the  village  and 
excelled  in  all  boyish  games.  Then  there  was 
Nanjiro,  a delicate  child  of  ten  years,  who  always 
had  a baby  strapped  on  his  back.  Ginjiro  and 
klejiki  lived  in  the  largest  house  of  the  place  and 
were  good  scholars. 

The  girls  were  Ken,  Riki,  Hisa,  Tama,  and 
Taka.  Besides  these  there  were  some  little  chil- 
dren and  three  or  four  babies. 


Io6  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

Near  the  temple  lived  a little  blind  boy,  Ko- 
jiro  by  name.  He  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the 
temple  among  the  grim  old  idols.  He  loved  to 
hear  the  monotonous  chanting  of  the  priests,  the 
sweet  sound  of  the  bell,  and  the  cooing  of  the 
doves. 

At  noon  one  day,  when  the  sun  was  shining 
over  Yamamidzu,  Saijiro  sat  with  Kojiro  on  the 
temple  steps.  The  child’s  sightless  eyes  were 
turned  upward  towards  the  sun. 

“It  is  warm,  Saijiro,”  he  said,  “and  the  air 
is  sweet.  ’ ’ 

Saijiro  answered,  “Yes;  the  sun  is  shining, 
Ko,  and  that  makes  it  warm.” 

“I  think,  Saichan,  the  sun  must  be  like  Sha- 
ka  Sama’s  face  and  the  warm  air  like  his  breath. 
You  know  the  image  of  Shaka  Sama  behind  the 
altar?  I have  seen  the  faces  of  all  the  other  gods, 
Saiji,  but  I cannot  reach  his;  and  oh!  I want  so 
much  to  touch  it.” 

“You  shall,  Ko,”  answered  the  eager  Saijiro, 
ready  to  do  anything  for  his  friend.  “I  will 
help  you.  We  will  climb  up  and  see  Shaka 
Sama.” 

The  two  boys  rose  and  went  up  the  rickety 
temple  steps.  Kojiro  did  not  need  Saijiro’ s guid- 
ance into  the  building,  for  he  knew  every  hole 
and  crack  of  it.  But  before  entering  he  stood  for 
an  instant,  pulled  the  bell-rope  which  hung  there, 
folded  his  hands,  and  bowed  his  head  while  he 


SEEING  BUDDHA’S  FACE.  I07 

uttered  a prayer.  The  two  priests  who  usually 
officiated  in  the  temple  had  gone  to  dinner,  and 
the  children  had  the  place  to  themselves.  Saijiro 
took  hold  of  Ko’s  hand  when  the  latter  had  fin- 
ished his  prayer  and  led  him  to  the  altar.  Be- 
fore it  was  a table,  and  on  the  table  were  offerings 
of  rice  and  beans  and  pyramids  made  of  carrots 
and  turnips. 

“ Ko,  be  careful,”  said  Saijiro,  as  he  led  his 
friend  to  the  narrow,  slippery  steps  up  which 
they  had  to  climb  before  reaching  the  great 
image. 

Kojiro  shivered  a little.  It  was  cold  and  dark 
in  the  temple.  “Am  I near  Shaka  Sama?”  he 
asked.  “ I cannot  feel  any  warmth,  as  I do  from 
the  sun.” 

But  Saijiro  held  him  firmly  by  the  hand,  and 
he  patiently  mounted  the  stairs.  Then  they  had 
to  make  their  way  along  a narrow  ledge,  around 
tall  candles  and  artificial  flowers.  Kojiro  trem- 
bled as  for  the  first  time  he  touched  these  thines 
which  were  so  sacred  to  him.  At  last  the  boys 
came  up  to  the  image  of  Buddha.  It  was  seated 
on  a lotus-flower,  and  looked  down  on  them  calm 
and  majestic,  as  are  all  images  of  Buddha. 

“Now,  Ko,”  said  Saijiro,  “climb  up  on  the 
lotus.” 

By  placing  theii  feet  carefully  upon  the  petals 
of  the  flower  the  boys  managed  to  get  up  to  the 
image  itself.  Then  Saijiro  was  puzzled.  The 


loS 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


surface  was  smooth;  there  was  nothing  for  his 
friend  to  take  hold  of.  At  last  he  succeeded  in 
scrambling  up  the  side  and  getting  on  the  im- 
mense hand  of  the  image.  Now,  holding  by 
Buddha’s  sacred  thumb,  he  stooped  down  and 
pulled  Kojiro  up.  But  still  the  blind  boy  could 
not  reach  the  face. 

“Get  up  on  my  shoulder,  Ko.” 

Kojiro  tried  this,  but  it  was  not  easily  accom- 
plished. There  was  nothing  for  him  to  stand  on, 
nothing  for  him  to  hold  on  by.  Kojiro  felt  al- 
most as  though  he  were  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment. Should  he  never  see  Shaka  Sama’s 
face? 

Saijiro  examined  the  idol  carefully.  “There 
is  a place  on  Shaka  Sama’s  neck  where  the  folds 
of  his  honorable  robe  are.  I think  I can  lift 
you  up.” 

This  feat  was  not  accomplished  without  diffi- 
culty, even  danger.  But  at  last  Kojiro  stood  on 
the  holy  Buddha’s  neck.  Then,  lost  to  every- 
thing else,  he  passed  his  fingers  over  the  sacred 
face  that  he  had  so  long  desired  to  touch.  His 
thin  little  fingers  traced  and  retraced  the  outlines. 
He  felt  the  eyes,  the  nose,  the  forehead,  the  lips, 
the  chin.  Never  had  image  a more  devout  wor- 
shipper. 

“ I see  him  ! I see  him  !”  he  called  to  Saijiro, 
who  stood  waiting  on  the  sacred  thumb.  “My 
hands  have  touched  his  face.  I have  seen  Shaka 


SEEING  Buddha’s  face. 


109 

Saina  ! I know  lie  is  beautiful  because  be  is  so 
smooth.” 

“But  we  must  go  down,  Ko,”  called  Saijiro 
at  last. 

Poor  little  Ko  ! how  was  he  to  g-et  down? 
Fearless  as  he  generally  was,  everything  was  new 
here.  He  had  nothing  to  cling  to. 

“I  cannot  come  down,  Saiji,”  he  cried.  “I 
shall  fall.” 

Indeed,  Saijiro  himself  began  to  be  alarmed. 

Dogu!  what  can  we  do?”  he  said. 

Just  then  the  old  priest  came  in. 

“I  will  call  to  the  bon-sama^''''  said  Saijiro. 

The  priest,  hearing  voices,  looked  this  way 
and  that  in  the  temple,  but  failed  to  discover  the 
boys. 

“Bon-sama  ! Bon-sama  !”  called  Saijiro. 

The  voice  sounded  far  off  to  the  priest.  He 
began  to  tremble.  Always  superstitious,  the  Jap- 
anese are  ready  to  believe  anything. 

“Bon-sama!  Bon-sama!”  shouted  Saijiro 
desperately  from  his  height  on  Buddha’s  thumb. 

The  old  priest  lifted  his  eyes  to  the  altar,  and 
in  the  gloom  and  distance  just  discovered  two 
moving  figures  on  Shaka  Sama’s  arms  and  neck. 
They  were  onis  calling  to  him  ! With  a cry  he 
rushed  from  the  temple,  meeting  on  the  step  his 
younger,  jollier  brother. 

“What  has  happened?”  asked  bon-sama  num- 
ber two. 


no 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Dogu!  onis  in  the  temple  !” 

This  somewhat  stag^gered  the  younger  priest; 
but  some  villagers  coming  along  and  being  told 
the  story,  all  agreed  to  enter  the  temple  together. 
In  the  meantime  the  children,  thoroughly  fright- 
ened themselves,  stood  trembling  and  clinging  to 
the  idol.  It  was  a relief  to  Saijiro  to  see  the  men 
enter,  armed  as  they  were  with  clubs  and  farming 
implements. 

“Let  us  call  together,  Ko,”  he  said,  as  the 
searchers  peered  cautiously  into  corners  and  up  at 
the  altar.  So  together  they  shouted. 

“Who  are  you?”  questioned  the  men. 

“We  are  Saijiro  and  Kojiro,”  the  boys  an- 
swered, ‘ ‘ and  we  came  up  to  see  the  holy  Shaka 
Sama’s  face  and  cannot  get  down.” 

The  '''' Bogus  P''  and  “Wonderfuls!”  and 
“Strange  things!”  were  not  few  among  the  as- 
sembled company. 

A strong  man  went  up  to  the  idol,  lifted 
Saijiro  down  to  the  altar,  and  then  rescuing 
Kojiro  carried  him  quite  down  to  the  temple 
door. 

“What  were  you  doing,  Ko?”  asked  his  fa- 
ther as  he  led  him  home. 

“Honorable  father,  pardon,”  answered  the 
child.  “ I wished  to  see  Shaka  Sanaa’s  face.” 

A day  or  two  after  the  adventure  in  the  tem- 
ple, as  Saijiro  and  Ts’koi  were  running  up  the 
village  street,  they  met  Baba  with  the  large  girl 


SEEING  BUDDHA’S  FACE. 


Ill 


Tama.  Baba  leaned  heavily  upon  her  stick,  and 
Tama  carried  a bundle  of  clothes. 

“Where  are  you  going?”  asked  Baba  of  Sai- 
jiro,  who  made  her  a respectful  salutation. 

Saijiro  knew  well  enough  where  Baba  and 
Tama  were  going.  They  were  making  their  way 
slowly  down  to  the  pool  to  wash  their  clothes.  It 
was  Sunday.  The  simple  mountaineers  knew 
that  the  Japanese  Government  had  ordered  the 
seventh  day  to  be  observed  as  a day  of  rest,  in- 
stead of  one  day  in  six,  as  of  old.  They  also 
knew  that  the  year  began  much  earlier  than  for- 
merly and  that  the  months  were  changed.  The 
Government  so  ordered  it,  and  the  changes  were 
easily  effected.  Saijiro,  who  was  running  about 
with  no  definite  purpose,  turned  and  went  with 
Baba  and  Tama  down  the  path  along  which  the 
villagers  frequently  trod;  for  the  women  all  had 
to  go  to  the  pool  to  do  their  washing.  The  river 
was  too  rapid  and  dangerous  to  allow  of  any  liber- 
ties being,  taken  with  it. 

It  was  a lovely  day.  Just  enough  of  winter 
lingered  in  the  air  to  make  it  fresh  and  bracing. 
The  patch  of  sky  overhead  was  of  a deep  blue. 
The  mountain  was  beautiful  in  its  fresh  spring 
dress.  Sweet  little  flowers  bloomed  by  the  road- 
side. There  was  even,  at  the  end  of  the  village, 
a single  cherry-tree  white  with  blossoms.  The 
people  thought  it  the  most  wonderful  and  beauti- 
ful thing  they  had.  Fruit-trees  were  rare  in  that 


II2 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


region,  and  the  people  on  the  mountain  came  to 
Yamamidzu  to  see  this  tree.  If  they  could  but 
have  seen  the  cherry  walk  at  Mukojima,  where 
the  Fujisawa  children  spent  such  pleasant  hours  ! 

But  Saijiro  was  happy  enough.  He  ran  on 
ahead  of  Baba,  carrying  the  bundle  on  his  head. 
Tama  had  laughingly  tossed  it  to  him  when  they 
met,  then  taking  Baba’s  hand  to  lead  her  care- 
fully down  the  steep  descent. 

Dogu  P''  said  Baba,  “ the  little  flowers  are 
very  pretty,  and  how  beautiful  is  the  honorable 
cherry-tree.” 

“ Saichan,  Saichan  !”  called  a little  voice  from 
above. 

Saijiro  looked  up  to  see  little  blind  Ko  stand- 
ing at  the  head  of  the  path.  He  wore  a white 
dress,  his  feet  were  bare,  and  his  long  hair,  not 
yet  cut  as  a priest’s — for  it  was  Ko’s  desire  to  be  a 
priest — floated  behind  him  on  the  breeze.  Saijiro 
gave  his  bundle  a toss  which  sent  it  rolling  down 
to  the  pond;  then  running  rapidly  back  towards 
Ko,  he  took  him  upon  his  back  and  was  at  the 
pond  before  the  others,  whom  he  had  passed  each 
time  with  a polite  “Excuse  me.”  He  safely  de- 
posited Kojiro  upon  the  ground  and  found  a 
mossy  seat  for  Baba  beside  him. 

Tama  rolled  up  her  dress  and  waded  out  into 
the  water  with  the  clothes,  which  she  beat  be- 
tween two  stones.  Saijiro  lay  down  on  the 
ground  between  Baba  and  Kojiro.  It  was  a pret- 


seeing  BUDDHA’S  FACE.  II3 

ty  scene.  From  the  height  above  them  down 
tumbled  the  waterfall.  The  pond  was  like  a 
pearl  set  with  emeralds,  so  pure  was  the  water,  so 
green  the  earth.  All  around  grew  pretty  spring 
wild-flowers.  The  blossoms  of  the  cherry-tree 
could  be  seen,  a mass  of  white  among  the  trees, 
as  they  looked  up  towards  Yamamidzu. 

“ Baba,”  asked  little  Ko,  “shall  I ever  see?” 
“Ko  sees  many  things,  Baba,”  broke  in 
Saijiro.  “He  sees  more  things  than  I can 
think  of.” 

Tama  was  all  this  while  busy  washing  her 
clothes  and  Baba’s.  She  had  ripped  apart  their 
dresses  of  blue  cotton  cloth  and  was  beating  the 
pieces  on  the  rocks.  She  did  it  cheerfully,  and 
sang  in  a low  monotone  a song  of  spring.  It 
could  not  be  called  a merry  tune.  It  sounded 
plaintive  enough.  But  Baba  and  the  children 
enjoyed  it  so  much  that  at  last  they  stopped  their 
talk  to  listen.  It  was  one  of  the  songs  of  the  Hia~ 
kttninishiu^  or  “One  Hundred  Poems,”  of  which 
Japanese  women  are  so  fond. 

“Oh,  my  love!”  sang  Tama.  “I  have  lost 
him  in  this  world.  Shall  I ever  see  him  a^ain  ? 

o 

Shall  I meet  him  in  the  next?” 

“ Riki  is  learning  to  play  the  samisen^'''^  Tama 
called  out  to  Baba  when  she  had  ended  her  soiiQf. 
“ Old  Kinchi  is  teaching  her.” 

“That  is  fine,”  answered  Baba.  “We  shall 
have  music  in  Yamamidzu  now.  Are  your 

nn  aijho.  8 


Kch.a 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


II4 

clothes  all  washed  clean,  Tama?  It  is  growing 
late,  and  we  must  go  home.” 

Tama  led  Baba,  and  Saijiro  carried  Ko  up  the 
steep  path  to  the  village.  Leaving  Ko  at  his 
home,  Saijiro  turned  and  crossed  the  bridge.  Be- 
fore reaching  his  house  he  heard  his  father’s 
voice. 

“ The  honorable  father  is  at  prayer,”  said  Sai- 
jiro to  himself. 

Yetaro  was  prostrate  before  the  idols  in  his 
bedchamber.  Candles  were  burning  on  the  altar 
and  the  smoke  of  incense  filled  the  room. 

''''  Dogu  r''  thought  Saijiro,  “I  wish  the  honor- 
able father  could  find  the  honorable  foreio^ners’ 
God — the  one  who  hung  upon  the  cross.” 


A MIDSUMMER  FESTIVAL. 


I15 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A MIDSUMMER  FESTIVAL. 

Kesa  and  Chiye,  under  their  mother’s  careful 
direction,  were  changing  the  water  of  the  vases 
on  the  altar.  Neither  of  these  two  girls  had  the 
reverence  for  the  deities  of  Japan  which  the  mo- 
ther tried  so  hard  to  inculcate.  Fujisawa  himself 
was  something  of  a skeptic;  but  he  encouraged 
his  wife  and  daughters  to  be  regular  in  their  at- 
tendance at  the  temples,  believing  that  a Japan- 
ese woman  should  love  and  worship  the  gods. 

“Kesa,  be  careful.  Do  condescend  to  take  a 
little  more  pains,  child,”  called  the  mother,  as 
the  contents  of  a vase  were  spilled  upon  the  floor. 

“Pardon  me,  honorable  mother,”  said  the 
child. 

Meguchi  hastened  to  wipe  the  water  from  the 
mat.  “The  honorable  elder  sisters  would  not 
have  done  so,”  she  said. 

“How  beautiful!”  said  the  servants  when 
they  saw  Benten  Sama’s  freshly  decorated  shrine. 
It  looked  like  the  altar  in  a Roman-catholic 
church,  with  artificial  flowers,  candles,  and  in- 
cense-boxes. 

Benten  Sama  was  a favorite  goddess  with  the 
children.  They  loved  to  hear  stories  of  her  life 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


1 16 

on  the  beautiful  island  of  Inosliima — of  how  she 
could  change  herself  into  a swan  or  a snake,  and 
of  how  she  appeared  to  people  in  trouble — a gra- 
cious goddess  with  long,  flowing  hair  and  beauti- 
ful robes.  They  had  pictures  of  her  standing, 
with  the  other  “gods  of  luck,”  on  top  of  the 
treasure-boat  which  is  thought  to  come  into  the 
harbor  at  Tokio  at  the  new  year  and  bring  pres- 
ents and  good  cheer  for  all.  Mrs.  Fujisawa’s 
Benten  Sama  looked  very  pretty,  standing  serene- 
ly in  an  elegant  lacquered  case,  with  flowers  and 
candles  before  her. 

Chiye  and  Kesa  found  the  duties  of  idol-wor- 
ship rather  irksome.  They  could  not  see  the  use 
of  placing  flowers  and  eatables  before  images. 

“They  do  not  eat,”  said  Chiye  in  confidence 
to  Mitsu  one  night. 

“No;  but  the  gods  in  paradise  see  that  we 
offer  things  to  their  images  and  they  are  pleased,” 
answered  Mitsu. 

“Mitsu,  the  honorable  foreigners  don’t  have 
images  of  their  gods,”  said  Chiye. 

“ But  some  of  them  do,”  answered  Mitsu.  “I 
have  myself  seen  the  honorable  strangers’  images — 
a woman,  like  Benten  Sama;  and  a child,  like 
the  holy  infant  Buddha;  and  men,  like  Shaka 
Sama’s  disciples.” 

“Well,  Fusa  goes  to  school,  and  she  says  they 
have  no  images.  Oh,  Mitsu,  how  I wish  the 
honorable  father  would  let  me  go  to  the  school ! 


A MIDSUMMER  FESTIVAL.  1 17 

I have  seen  Fusa’s  books;  they  are  about  all  the 
different  countries  in  the  world.  We  do  n’t  learn 
anything  except  about  Japan  and  the  gods  and 
heroes.  ’ ’ 

“What  more  does  a Japanese  girl  want  to 
know?”  asked  Mitsu. 

Chiye  Fujisawa  seemed  to  have  been  born 
with  a thirst  for  knowledge.  Long  before  this 
she  had  mastered  all  that  a Japanese  girl  ordi- 
narily learns  in  school,  and  had  begged  to  be  al- 
lowed to  study  the  Chinese  classics.  Fujisawa 
engaged  a Chinese  teacher  for  her,  but  even  the 
classics  failed  to  satisfy  the  eager  girl. 

Tama  and  Mitsu  played  beautifully  on  the 
sainiseii^  but  neither  Chiye  nor  Kesa  cared  much 
for  music.  They  loved  to  hear  Mitsu’s  skilful 
touch  on  the  instrument  and  to  listen  to  her  songs 
of  old  Japan,  but  had  no  fancy  for  playing  or 
singing  themselves. 

“Where  are  you  going?”  asked  Chiye  of 
Kesa  a few  hours  later,  as  she  came  into  the  room 
where  Chiye  was  studying. 

“I  am  going  with  Mitsu  and  Aka  to  carry 
flowers  to  Rinjiro’s  grave,”  answered  the  child. 

Just  then  Mitsu  appeared,  all  ready  for  a walk 
and  carrying  beautiful  flowers. 

She  gave  some  of  them  to  Kesa,  and  after  a 
respectful  saionara  to  their  mother  the  two  girls 
went  to  the  yashiki  for  Aka,  who  joined  them  at 
the  large  gate.  It  was  where  Rinjirc  had  always 


Il8  KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

met  Kesa  in  the  days  when  they  went  to  school 
together. 

Aka  carried  lilies.  “How  beautiful!”  said 
Mitsu  and  Kesa  as  she  showed  them  the  pure 
white  flowers.  They  were  mountain  lilies,  and 
just  then  Saijiro  had  his  hands  full  of  them  and 
was  carrying  them  to  Baba  at  Yamamidzu. 

“Aka,  if  it  had  not  been  for  what  Kei  said 
that  day  she  told  us  her  story,  I believe  I should 
have  liked  to  be  a nun,”  said  Mitsu  as  they 
walked.  “But  I so  well  remember  her  words: 
‘ The  women  are  not  holy.’  She  said  that  while 
they  beat  the  drums  and  prayed  their  hearts  were 
far  away,  and  that  they  did  all  sorts  of  wrong  and 
foolish  things.” 

'''' Dogu r''  said  Aka,  “ I long  to  go  on  pilgrim- 
age. Many  women  go.  Why  cannot  we?” 

They  were  going  up  the  broad  walk  to  the 
temple.  Doves  came  and  hopped  about  Kesa’s 
feet. 

“Why  does  Hachiman  Sama,  the  god  of  war, 
have  doves  for  his  messengers?”  asked  Kesa. 
“ He  looks  so  fierce  and  is  so  ugly,  I should  n’t 
think  the  doves  would  like  him  at  all.” 

Near  the  grim  idol  Hachiman  stood  a white 
horse  made  of  wood.  He  was  Hachiman’ s ser- 
vant, as  the  fox  is  fabled  to  be  the  servant  of  the 
god  Inari. 

Kesa  stopped  for  a moment  under  a grand 
maple-tree.  On  one  side  of  her  was  a terrible  oni 


A MIDSUMMER  FESTIVAL.  II9 

holding  in  one  arm  a “heavenly  lamp.”  On  the 
other  side  was  the  tree  where  the  sacred  snake 
was  said  to  dwell.  But  neither  Kesa  nor  any  one 
else  had  ever  seen  the  snake.  While  Aka  and 
Mitsu  went  up  to  the  temple,  Kesa  bought  some 
rice  from  a man  and  fed  the  doves.  They  crowd- 
ed around,  cooing  softly  as  the  child  threw  the 
grain  to  them. 

The  cemetery  was  just  behind  the  temple. 
Kesa  followed  Aka  and  IMitsu  to  a well-known 
grave.  A little  pair  of  wooden  shoes  hung  on  the 
tombstone,  and  near  by  were  playthings.  Aka 
threw  away  the  faded  flowers  which  were  there 
and  put  fresh  ones  in  their  place,  and  then  sat 
down  and  wept  for  the  little  Rinjiro  who  lay 
buried  under  the  stone. 

At  last  she  said,  “Kesa,  you  must  come 
and  help  me  make  rice-cakes,  sweep  the  rooms, 
and  get  Rinjiro’s  toys  and  clothes  ready.  Rin- 
jiro is  coming  to  be  with  us,  and  we  must  pre- 
pare.” 

“Will  he  really  come?”  asked  Kesa. 

“Yes,  my  darling,  at  the  feast  of  the  Bony 

“There  is  going  to  be  a preaching;  let  us  go 
and  hear  the  sermon,”  said  Mitsu  as  they  went 
back  towards  the  temple. 

A number  of  people  were  making  their  way  up 
to  the  steps.  Many  of  them  were  very  old.  Hun- 
dreds of  shoes  were  near  the  temple  steps,  for  no 
one  goes  into  the  temples  with  shoes. 


120 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“Who  will  preach?”  asked  Aka  of  a man. 

The  man  made  a low  bow  and  said,  “The 
great  bon-sama  from  Shibo  preaches  to-day  of  the 
holy  Shaka  Sama.” 

The  people,  about  five  hundred  in  number,  sat 
on  the  temple  floor,  with  their  faces  turned  to- 
wards the  altar.  Aka,  Mitsu,  and  Kesa  sat  near 
the  door.  An  aged,  venerable  priest,  with  shaven 
head  and  yellow  robes,  occupied  as  chief  speaker 
the  place  of  honor,  and  around  him  were  grouped 
priests  of  inferior  rank. 

The  western  sun  sent  long  rays  of  light  into 
the  temple.  They  fell  on  the  gilded  images  of 
the  Buddhas  and  on  the  golden  lotus-flowers. 
The  priests  began  a low  monotonous  chant;  and 
some  boys,  likewise  with  shaven  heads,  swung  in- 
cense, the  odor  of  which  filled  the  temple. 

The  priests  chanted  the  praise  of  Buddha, 
their  holy  Shaka  Sama. 

“ Pure  and  holy  and  absorbed  in  heavenly 
contemplation  was  the  great  Amida.  He  left  his 
father’s  palace  and  dwelt  with  the  poor  and  low- 
ly. Amida  Dai  Butsu!  Amida  Dai  Butsu!” 

Then  the  old  priest  rose,  and  stretching  out 
his  hands  said, 

“ Disten,  O people,  to  the  doctrines  of  the  holy 
and  blessed  Buddha. 

“He  was  born  in  the  far-off  country  India,  a 
prince  of  high  degree.  He  despised  the  delights 
of  his  father’s  house,  and  determined  to  become  a 


A MIDSUMMER  FESTIVAL. 


I2I 


priest  to  the  most  high  and  holy  one,  the  Brahma 
of  the  Indians.  But  neither  did  he  find  peace  in 
listening  to  the  teachings  of  Brahma. 

“He  looked  forth  one  day  and  beheld  a man 
killing  a poor  dumb  animal.  He  heard  its  cries 
and  saw  its  precious  life-blood  spilled. 

“Then  his  spirit  was  roused  within  him.  He 
retired  under  a banyan-tree  and  spent  days  and 
nights  in  holy  contemplation.  He  saw  beau- 
tiful visions,  knew  all  things,  and  became  a god. 

“He  travelled  far  and  wide  over  Tartary, 
Nankin,  and  Ceylon.  Many  were  his  disciples 
and  gentle  were  his  precepts.  Read,  O people, 
the  story  of  the  sixteen  disciples  of  Buddha,  who 
were  ‘ flowers  of  heaven.’  ” 

Here  the  people  all  bowed  their  heads.  The 
great  image  of  Buddha  was  resplendent  in  the 
sunshine. 

“ He  founded  hospitals  for  the  sick.  He  gave 
in  mercy  to  the  poor.  He  became  absorbed  into 
the  divine  essence. 

“ Study  the  eight  steps  to  perfection: 

“I.  Right  belief. 

“II.  Right  judgment. 

“III.  Right  utterance. 

“ IV.  Right  motives. 

“ V.  Right  living. 

“ VI.  Right  occupation. 

“VII.  Right  memory. 

“VHI.  Right  meditation. 


122 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


‘‘The  devout  Buddhist,  O people,  must  be- 
lieve the  correct  thing,  must  apply  his  faith  to  his 
daily  life,  must  speak  the  truth,  must  always 
have  a perfect  end  and  aim  in  view;  his  outward 
life  must  be  without  sin;  he  must  faithfully  do 
his  duty;  he  must  remember  correctly  his  past  con- 
duct and  keep  his  mind  fixed  on  permanent  truth. 

“ lyisten,  also,  to  the  ten  commandments: 

“I.  Do  not  kill. 

“ II.  Do  not  steal. 

“ III.  Do  not  commit  adultery. 

“IV.  Do  not  lie. 

“V.  Do  not  become  intoxicated. 

“VI.  Take  no  solid  food  after  noon. 

“VII.  Do  not  visit  dances  nor  concerts  nor 
theatrical  representations. 

“VIII.  Use  no  ornaments  nor  perfumery  in 
dress. 

“IX.  Use  no  luxurious  beds. 

“ X.  Accept  neither  gold  nor  silver.” 

The  people  bowed  and  murmured  assent  to 
each  of  these  precepts  and  commandments.  Lit- 
tle Kesa  heard  it  all,  sitting  by  Aka’s  side  that 
summer  afternoon.  The  doctrines  were  good,  but 
they  brought  no  peace  to  Aka’s  soul,  no  hope  of 
meeting  her  darling  again. 

But  the  crowd  was  dispersing,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer twilight  the  three  walked  quietly  home. 

A few  days  later  Kesa  went  to  help  Aka  get 
ready  for  the  great  festival  of  the  “Ac;/.”  For 


A MIDSUMMER  FESTIVAL.  1 23 

‘'the  spirits  of  the  dead  come  back  and  spend 
three  days  of  every  year  with  their  friends,”  say 
the  people. 

It  is  a solemn  festival  and  comes  in  midsum- 
mer, when  the  sacred  lotus  is  blooming  in  the 
ponds,  emblem  of  the  sanctity,  seclusion,  and  rest- 
fulness of  the  Buddhas.  Kesa  and  Aka  made 
1 ice-cakes  and  placed  them  on  the  shrines  erected 
to  the  memory  of  the  dead.  They  unfolded  Rin- 
jiro’s  clothes,  that  he  might  find  them  ready  for 
him.  They  laid  out  for  the  child -spirit  the  gaudy, 
unused  toys. 

“ Oh,  if  we  could  see  him  ! If  he  would  only 
come  and  play  with  us  and  tell  us  what  the  gods 
do  in  paradise!”  said  Kesa,  as  she  assisted  in 
sweeping,  dusting,  and  making  everything  ready. 
She  and  Aka  talked  a great  deal  about  Rinjiro 
during  the  three  days  that  the  spirits  were  sup- 
posed to  spend  in  the  house. 

“ He  would  have  been  your  husband,  Kechan. 
The  honorable  father  and  I had  promised  that  he 
should  be  your  honorable  husband  and  that  you 
should  be  his  honorable  wife.” 

“But  we  should  have  played  together  for  a 
long  while,”  said  Kesa,  whose  ideas  of  the  rela- 
tions of  husband  and  wife  were  rather  indefinite. 

“ Yes;  you  would  have  gone  to  school  togeth- 
er and  played  together  for  a long  while  yet,”  an- 
swered Aka;  and  she  sighed  when  she  thought  of 
all  their  lost  happiness. 


124 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


The  Fujisawa  mansion  was  also  swept  and 
cleaned  and  ready  for  the  spirits.-  No  child  had 
left  the  house,  but  there  were  grandfathers  and 
grandmothers,  for  two  or  three  generations  back, 
to  come.  Rice,  flowers,  and  clothing  were  made 
ready  for  them.  Drums  were  beaten  incessantly, 
and  the  very  air  seemed  filled  with  prayers  of  the 
living  and  spirits  of  the  dead. 

Kesa  went  with  Aka  on  the  evenino;  of  the 
third  day  of  the  feast  to  the  bank  of  a canal.  The 
tide  was  going  out.  They  lighted  little  tapers, 
placed  them  carefully  on  the  water,  and  they  were 
carried  out  to  the  sea.  Rinjiro’s  spirit  was  being 
lighted  back  to  its  shadowy  home. 

“Good-by,  Rinjiro,  until  next  year,”  said 
Kesa;  and  Aka’s  tears  fell  fast. 

The  streets  were  full  of  people,  all  carrying 
tapers  or  watching  them  as  they  were  borne  by 
the  tide  out  to  the  ocean.  Men  were  dancing 
in  the  streets  the  sacred  Bon  dance,  chanting  a 
solemn  litany,  waving  their  fans,  and  swaying 
their  bodies  to  and  fro.  How  weird  it  all  was ! 
Kesa  held  fast  to  Aka’s  hand  as  they  walked 
rapidly  through  the  streets  to  their  own  quiet 
homes. 

A few  days  after  this  the  summer  vacation 
was  over,  and  Kesa  went  back  to  school.  She 
was  not  fond  of  books,  as  Chiye  was.  In  a pas- 
sive way  she  went  through  the  school  routine, 
giving  little  trouble,  but  paying  little  attention; 


A MIDSUMMER  FESTIVAL. 


125 


reading  monotonously  the  dull  Confucian  books, 
and  mechanically  repeating  their  precepts.  The 
teacher  was  getting  old.  He  had  taught  the  fa- 
thers and  mothers  of  some  of  the  children,  keep- 
ing on  in  the  same  routine  year  after  year. 

A foreigner  going  into  the  school  during  a 
reading  lesson  would  have  seen  the  smsci  walking 
about  with  a ruler  in  his  hand  and  the  pupils  all 
sitting  on  the  floor  with  books  open  before  them. 
But  such  a noise ! They  all  read  together,  em- 
phasizing the  small  words,  drawing  in  their 
breath,  and  making  a peculiar  inflection  at  the 
end  of  each  sentence. 

Kesa  read  out  her  lesson  clearly;  her  voice 
could  be  heard  above  the  others  as  they  chanted 
the  precepts  of  the  “Woman’s  Great  Learning.” 

“When  children  are  able  to  take  their  food 
they  should  be  taught  the  use  of  the  right  hand. 

“When  able  to  talk,  the  lads  must  be  instruct- 
ed to  answer  in  a quick,  bold  tone,  and  the  girls 
ill  a slow,  gentle  tone. 

“A  leathern  s^irdle  should  be  given  to  the 
lads,  and  a silken  one  to  the  girls. 

“ At  the  age  of  seven  they  should  be  taught  to 
count  and  to  name  the  cardinal  points. 

“At  the  age  of  seven  boys  and  girls  must  not 
sit  on  the  same  mat  nor  eat  at  the  same  table. 

“ At  eight,  when  going  out  or  coming  in,  they 
must  wait  for  their  superiors,  being  taught  to  pre- 
fer others  to  themselves. 


126 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“At  nine  they  must  learn  to  number  the  days 
of  the  month. 

“Girls,  after  they  are  ten  years  of  age,  must 
not  leave  their  apartments. 

“Placed  under  governesses,  they  must  be 
taught  to  be  mild,  both  in  deportment  and  lan- 
guage. They  must  learn  to  spin,  wind  off  thread, 
and  to  weave  cloth  and  silken  stuffs,  and  thus 
perform  those  duties  which  properly  belong  to 
W’omen  in  providing  clothes  for  their  families. 
They  may  see  to  the  preparations  for  the  sacrifi- 
ces, and  arrange  the  vessels  and  the  offerings  of 
wines  and  vegetables.” 

In  the  “ Bock  of  Rites”  are  these  precepts: 

“ Let  children  be  always  taught  to  speak  the 
simple  truth,  to  stand  upright  in  their  proper 
places,  and  to  listen  with  respectful  attention.” 
“Wives  must  serve  their  husbands’  fathers 
and  mothers  as  their  own. 

“At  the  first  cock-crowing  they  must  arise, 
wash  their  hands,  rinse  their  mouths,  comb  their 
hair;  they  must  fasten  on  their  bags  of  perfumery, 
then  go  to  the  chamber  of  their  father  and  mo- 
ther and  father-in-law  and  mother-in-law,  and 
having  entered,  in  a low  and  placid  tone  they 
must  inquire  whether  their  dress  is  too  warm  or 
too  cold. 

“In  asking  and  presenting  them  what  they 
wish  to  eat  they  must  cheer  them  by  their  mild 
manner,  and  must  wait  until  their  father  and  mo- 


KESA  AND  MITSU. 


A MIDSUMMER  FESTIVAL.  1 27 

tlier  and  father-in-law  and  mother-in-law  have 
eaten,  and  then  retire.” 

“Children  must  not  occupy  the  principal 
place  in  the  house  nor  seat  themselves  in  the 
middle  seat  nor  walk  in  the  middle  of  the  way 
nor  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  door.  They  must 
not  ascend  high  places  nor  approach  steep  pre- 
cipices, nor  may  they  indulge  in  slander  or  ridi- 
cule.” 

Poor  little  Kesa!  These  maxims  are  all  good 
enough  in  their  way,  but  she  might  have  studied 
them  all  the  bright  days  of  her  childhood  and 
never  have  known  anything  of  the  beautiful 
world  in  which  she  lived — of  its  trees  and  plants 
and  flowers,  of  its  animals,  and  of  its  races  of  men 
and  their  history.  No  wonder  that  Chiye  was 
dissatisfied. 

Kesa  wrote  Chinese  characters  in  her  copy- 
books, and  Mitsu  taught  her  the  “One  Hun- 
dred Poems.”  Mitsu  was  also  her  teacher 
in  sewing,  embroidery,  and  paper-flower  ma- 
king. But  Kesa  was  not  a very  apt  scholar 
in  these  things  and  often  tried  her  teacher’s 
patience. 

Neither  did  she  like  her  safniseft  lessons.  The 
teacher  went  to  the  house  twice  a week,  and  the 
little  girl  would  sit  patiently  beside  her  and  try 
to  imitate  her  as  she  struck  the  strings  of  the 
instrument  with  her  ivory  stick  and  sang  her 
songs  of  love  and  beauty.  But  Kesa  was  no 


128  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

musician  and  samis^u-playing  had  no  attraction 
for  her. 

“Come,  Kesa,  it  is  time  for  your  sewing,” 
said  Mitsu  one  day  as  the  child  stood  idly  by  the 
lotus  pond,  “For  shame!”  she  added,  as  Kesa 
turned  petulantly  away.  She  was  not  fond  of 
sewing. 

“But  I have  a pretty  story,  a new  one,  for 
you,”  said  the  gentle  Mitsu;  and  Kesa  went 
slowly  towards  the  house.  “The  mother  waits 
with  her  work,  Kesa,  and  Hana  is  anxious  to 
hear  the  story,” 

Kesa  quickened  her  pace  and  went  into  the 
room  where  her  mother  and  sisters  were  sitting. 
Mitsu  put  Kesa’s  embroidery  into  her  hands  with 
many  directions  as  to  how  the  work  should  be 
done.  Then  she  began  her  story. 

“ Once  upon  a time,  just  when  the  world  was 
made — ” 

“ Who  made  it?”  asked  Kesa. 

“The  gods,  of  course,  little  sister.  But  let 
me  go  on  with  the  story.  Well,  the  whole  world 
belonged  to  a fairy  who  had  three  children,  two 
sons  and  a daughter.  Now  the  fairy  was  about 
to  die — ” 

“ I didn’t  know  that  fairies  ever  died,”  inter- 
rupted Hana. 

“Well,  this  one  died  or  went  away  from  the 
world,  and  he  left  the  moon  to  one  boy  and  the 
sea  to  another  and  the  sun  to  his  daughter.  The 


A MIDSUMMER  FESTIVAL.  1 29 

boy  who  had  the  1110011  was  very  much  pleased, 
and  he  has  it  yet.” 

“But  he  takes  it  away  sometimes,  sister,” 
said  little  Kesa. 

“Yes;  but  he  always  brings  it  back  again. 
Well,  the  boy  who  had  the  sea  did  not  like 
his  part.  He  hated  to  be  cold  and  wet  all  the 
time.  The  girl  had  the  sun,  and  one  day 
when  she  was  spinning  with  her  maidens  the 
sea-boy  rushed  in  and  overturned  the  spin- 
ning-wheels and  frightened  them  all  so  that 
the  sun-girl  ran  and  hid  herself  in  a cave. 
Then  the  world  was  all  dark,  because  the  light 
of  the  sun  really  came  from  her  beautiful 
eyes. 

“So  the  fairies  went  and  begged  her  to  come 
out,  but  she  would  not.  At  last  they  went  and 
danced  before  her  door.  Then  Ama  opened  just 
a little  crack  and  peeped  out. 

“‘See,  here  is  a fairy  more  beautiful  than  . 
you  are,’  said  the  dancers,  holding  a mirror 
before  her  face.  Ama  was  very  curious  to 
know  who  the  fairy  was,  so  she  came  out  of 
the  cave,  and  then  the  rest  of  the  fairies  closed 
the  door. 

“Ama  promised  to  go  back  to  the  sun  if  the 
wicked  Susano  were  banished.  So  Susano  went 
down  to  the  earth,  and  as  he  was  walking  sorrow- 
fully along  he  saw  an  old  man  and  woman  crying 
over  a beautiful  young  girl.  Susano  asked  what 

aii'l  Saijiio.  q 


130  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

the  matter  was,  and  they  told  him  that  every  year 
a terrible  eight-headed  dragon  came  and  devoured 
one  of  their  daughters  and  that  this  was  the  last 
one  of  eight.  They  told  him,  too,  that  the  drag- 
on was  to  come  again  that  very  day  and  that  they 
would  lose  their  last  daughter  if  no  one  was  found 
to  rescue  her. 

“ Susano  told  them  to  dry  their  tears,  for  he 
could  easily  destroy  the  dragon.  Then  he  showed 
them  how  to  brew  some  beer,  and  they  made  a 
fence  with  eight  gates  and  placed  a vat  of  beer  at 
each  gate. 

“Pretty  soon  the  dragon  came  trailing  along. 
He  was  so  large  that  he  covered  eight  hills  and 
eight  valleys.  When  he  smelled  the  beer  he  went 
up  to  it  and  drank  so  much  that  he  became  in- 
toxicated. Then  Susano  went  to  him  and  cut  off 
all  his  heads.  When  the  dragon  was  quite  dead 
Susano  stepped  up  to  his  tail  and  began  to  cut 
that  in  pieces.  His  sword  struck  something  very 
hard,  which  proved  to  be  the  most  beautiful  sword 
that  had  ever  been  seen.  So  Susano  took  it  out 
and  the  Emperor  of  Japan  has  it. 

“Then  Susano  married  the  beautiful  girl,  and 
they  lived  in  a fine  palace  and  were  happy  ever 
after.” 

Kesa  and  Hana  thought  this  a fine  story;  but 
Chiye  said  it  was  very  foolish  and  she  did  not  be- 
lieve it  ever  happened  at  all. 


THE  EIGHT-HEADED  DRAGON. 


".i' 

.1 


WINTER  IN  YAMAMIDZU. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WINTER  IN  YAMAMIDZU. 

While  Kesa  was  studying  the  “Woman’s 
Great  Learning”  in  Tokio,  Saijiro  on  the  inonn- 
tain  was  likewise  gaining  a knowledge  of  Confu- 
cius and  Mencius,  and  their  counsels  to  boys. 

“At  ten,”  says  the  book,  “lads  must  be  sent 
abroad  to  tutors  and  remain  day  and  night,  study- 
ing the  arts  of  writing  and  arithmetic,  wearing 
plain  apparel,  always  learning  to  demean  them- 
selves in  a manner  becoming  their  age,  and,  both 
in  receiving  instruction  and  in  practice,  acting  in 
sincerity  of  purpose.” 

“At  thirteen  they  must  attend  to  music  and 
poetry.” 

“When  the  father  calls,  his  son  must  answer 
promptly  and  without  delay;  he  must  drop  what- 
ever work  he  has  in  hand,  or  if  he  is  eating  and 
has  food  in  his  mouth,  he  must  spit  it  out  and  run 
quickly.  If  the  son  who  has  aged  parents  goes 
away  from  the  house,  it  must  not  be  now  to  this 
place  and  then  to  that,  nor  must  he  delay  his  re- 
turn beyond  the  proper  time  nor  retain  an  un- 
disturbed countenance  when  his  parents  are  af- 
flicted by  sickness.” 

“It  is  the  duty  of  every  son  in  winter  to  warm 


132 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


and  in  summer  to  cool  his  parents’  beds;  in  the 
evening  to  wish  them  rest,  and  in  the  morning  to 
inquire  after  their  health;  when  going  out  to  an- 
nounce it  to  his  parents,  and  on  returning  to  go 
into  their  presence.  His  walks  abroad  must  al- 
ways be  through  the  same  places;  he  must  have 
some  settled  business.” 

“While  the  tutor  gives  instruction  the  pupil 
must  learn,  and  with  gentleness,  deference,  and 
self-abasement  receive  implicitly  every  word  his 
master  utters.  When  he  sees  virtuous  people  he 
must  follow  them.  When  he  hears  good  maxims 
he  must  conform  to  them.  In  a gentle  and  sub- 
missive manner  he  must  perform  the  duties  which 
he  owes  to  his  parents  and  brothers,  and  must 
never  behave  proudly,  presuming  on  his  own  abil- 
ities. 

“ He  must  cherish  no  wicked  designs,  but  al- 
ways act  uprightly.  Whether  at  home  or  abroad, 
he  must  have  a fixed  residence  and  associate  with 
the  benevolent.  He  must  carefully  regulate  his 
personal  deportment  and  control  the  feelings  of 
his  heart.  He  must,  both  when  rising  and  at 
rest,  keep  his  clothes  in  order.  Every  morning 
he  must  learn  something  new  and  rehearse  the 
same  every  evening,  doing  all  with  the  most  re- 
spectful and  watchful  attention.” 

“ Of  the  three  thousand  crimes  included  under 
the  five  kinds  of  punishment,  there  is  none  greater 
than  disobedience  to  parents.” 


WINTER  IN  YAMAMID2U. 


133 


Saijiro  liad  also  to  learn  the  “ One  Thousand 
Character  Classic,”  which  consists  of  maxims  and 
precepts.  One  thousand  characters  are  used  in 
this  book,  no  two  of  which  are  alike.  The  max- 
ims are  poetical  in  the  original,  and  the  children 
repeated  them  in  a sing-song  style,  drawing*  in 
their  breath  and  prolonging  some  of  the  words. 

Saijiro  studied  faithfully  and  was  a good  boy 
in  school.  But  he  loved  play  too,  and  many  a 
merry  game  did  he  have  with  the  village  chil- 
dren. 

There  came  a happy  New  Year’s  Day  for  the 
Yamamidzu  people.  It  was  warm  and  sunny, 
and  even  Baba  could  sit  outside  on  her  cushion 
and  watch  the  games.  The  whole  village  joined 
in  the  sports.  Yenoske  had  been  down  to  the 
town  and  had  brought  up  a supply  of  provisions. 
The  women  had  pounded  the  rice  into  a fine  pow- 
der and  had  made  mochi^  hard  cakes,  from  it. 
They  had  candy  and  plenty  of  rice  and  daikons. 
The  girls  had  bright  sashes,  balls,  and  battledores 
and  shuttlecocks.  The  boys  had  new  belts  and 
gorgeous  kites.  The  village  hairdresser  and  bar- 
ber had  done  their  best.  The  bath-house  had 
been  well  patronised  and  everything  was  bright 
and  fresh  for  the  New  Year. 

Congratulations  were  heard  on  all  sides.  Ya- 
mamidzu  was  bright  and  beautiful,  and  the  people 
forgot  that  there  were  such  things  in  the  world  as 
hunger,  cold,  and  weariness.  Kojiro  was  happy, 


134 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


too,  on  this  bright  New  Year,  and  laughed  and 
clapped  his  hands  with  the  rest  of  the  children. 

The  boys  and  men  flew  kites,  and  the  girls 
and  women  played  battledore  and  shuttlecock. 
The  girls  counted  and  sang  merrily  as  the  pretty 
feathers  were  tossed  to  and  fro. 

Some  wandering  minstrels  had  stopped  in  the 
village  to  make  music  for  the  people.  A blind 
woman  sat  on  a mat  in  the  middle  of  the  street, 
and  while  she  sang  and  played  her  daughter,  a 
girl  of  thirteen,  danced.  She  gained  great  ap- 
plause, and  all  the  Yamamidzu  people  said  she 
did  well.  The  woman  sang  of  the  new  year,  and 
of  the  opening  of  the  peach  and  plum  blossoms. 

Later  in  the  day  a story-teller  recited  some 
tales  of  ancient  Japan  and  of  the  glories  of  Tay- 
kosama.  Then  the  children  gathered  around  him 
and  clamored  for  a story. 

“Ah,”  said  the  man,  “I  will  tell  you  the 
story  of  the  eighty-first  brother.”  Then  the  chil- 
dren all  dropped  their  toys  and  listened.  The 
man  sat  on  a mat  and  held  a fan,  with  which  he 
rapped  on  a small  table. 

“Once  upon  a time  there  were  eighty -one 
-brothers.  They  were  all  jealous  of  each  other, 
and  all  wanted  to  rule  the  same  kingdom  and  to 
marry  the  same  princess.  The  princess  lived  in 
the  province  of  Inaba,  and  all  the  brothers  started 
off  to  find  her.  All  of  the  eighty  brothers  joined 
in  hating  the  eighty-first  brother,  and  they  treated 


IHR  RABBIT  AND  THE  CROCODILES. 


WINTER  IN  YAMAMID^U.  1 35 

him  shamefully  and  made  him  carry  the  heavy 
luo^^aore.” 

C>C>  CT) 

Here  the  man  held  up  before  the  children  a 
picture  which  represented  the  eighty-one  brothers 
travelling  among  the  mountains,  the  eighty-first 
brother  carrying  the  pack. 

“By-and-by  the  brothers  came  across  a poor 
hare  lying  in  the  road  and  crying.  His  hair  was 
all  plucked  out  and  he  looked  very  miserable. 
The  brothers  told  him  to  go  and  bathe  in  the  sea 
and  then  lie  down  on  a mountain  and  let  the  wind 
blow  over  him.  But  the  poor  hare  was  then  in 
still  greater  distress;  the  wind  blowing  over  his 
cracked  skin  put  him  in  terrible  pain.  While  he 
lay  crying  there  the  eighty-first  brother  came 
along.  He  asked  the  hare  how  he  got  in  such  a 
plight.  Then  the  hare  told  him  that  he  was  on 
an  island  and  wanted  to  get  over  on  the  main- 
land. So  he  called  to  a crocodile,  and  they  made 
a bargain.  They  were  to  count  how  many  croco- 
diles there  were  in  the  sea  and  how  many  hares 
there  were  on  the  land.  So  the  crocodiles  ranged 
themselves  in  a long  row  to  be  counted  and  the 
hare  crossed  over  on  their  backs.” 

Here  the  story-teller  showed  the  children 
another  funny  picture.  All  the  crocodiles  were 
in  a long  row,  and  the  hare  was  running  across. 

“But,”  continued  the  man,  “the  silly  hare, 
just  as  he  had  gained  the  land,  laughed  aloud 
and  told  the  crocodiles  his  scheme;  and  the 


13^  KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

last  crocodile  seized  him  and  plucked  off  all  his 
hair. 

“The  hare  further  told  the  eighty-first  brother 
that  he  had  followed  the  advice  of  the  eic:htv  bro- 
thers  and  had  bathed  in  the  sea.  Then  the 
eighty-first  brother  told  him  to  bathe  in  the  river^ 
and  take  a good  roll  in  the  bushes.  Having  done; 
this  the  hare  was  quite  cured,  and  he  befriended 
the  eighty-first  brother,  so  that  he  married  the 
beautiful  princess.” 

“A  very  great  thank-you,”  said  the  children, 
and  they  clapped  their  hands  and  went  away. 

About  noon  two  visitors  entered  Yamamidzu. 
They  were  Yen  and  the  old  grandmother  from 
the  mountain  tea-house.  Yen’s  face  was  pow- 
dered, and  she  wore  a silk  sash  and  finer  hair- 
pins than  the  village  girls  had  ever  seen  before. 
She  was  a real  belle  among  them,  and  was  greet- 
ed with  many  exclamations  of  surprise  and  de- 
light. But  she  led  the  old  grandmother  carefully 
by  the  hand  and  was  mindful  of  her  comfort  in 
every  respect. 

“Truly,  welcome,”  said  the  villagers,  crowd- 
ing around  them.  “It  is  a long  walk  for  the 
grandmother.  And  how  is  the  honorable  old 
lady?” 

“ Thanks  ! Baba  is  very  well,  and  she  is  very 
happy  to  come,”  answered  Yen. 

Then  the  grandmother  was  seated  on  the  mat 
beside  the  Yamamidzu  Baba,  and  the  two  Babas 


WINTER  IN  YAMAMIDZU. 


137 


laughed  and  chatted  and  smoked  their  pipes. 
Yen  joined  the  merry  group  of  girls,  and  soon  her 
laugh  was  heard  above  the  others.  Saijiro  and 
Ts’koi  were  here  and  there  among  the  people, 
and  even  the  schoolmaster  Yetaro  tried  to  be 
cheerful. 

Yenoske  was  invaluable  to  the  little  boys, 
lie  helped  with  the  kite-flying  and  shouted  with 
the  children  if  some  kite  made  a particularly  high 
flight  into  the  blue  sky. 

But  the  bright  hours  wore  away  and  the 
cold  winter  night  came  on.  The  people  had 
to  go  into  their  houses,  but  the  story-telling, 
playing,  and  singing  were  kept  up  until  a late 
hour. 

It  was  the  last  time  that  the  Yamamidzu  Baba 
went  out.  The  next  day  an  unusually  severe 
storm  set  in.  The  wind  swept  through  the 
mountain  gorge  and  carried  the  snow  in  great 
drifts  through  the  village  street.  Baba^s  strength 
seemed  suddenly  to  fail,  and  she  lay  on  her  futon^ 
scarcely  caring  to  move.  She  could  still  tell  her 
stories,  however,  and  Saijiro  and  Yenoske  often 
bego^ed  for  them.  Her  thoughts  went  back  to  the 
old  days  when  her  children  were  small  and  her 
strong  young  husband  went  up  and  down  the 
great  mountain  Fuji. 

''''  Dogu  ! I was  not  one  of  the  holy  ones  who 
went  up  to  the  summit,  although  honorable  hus- 
band spent  two  months  every  summer  up  there,” 


138  KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

said  Baba  one  night  when  Yenoske  and  Saijiro 
sat  beside  her. 

‘ ‘ At  the  very  top,  Baba  ? And  wdiat  did  he 
do  there?”  asked  Saijiro. 

“Every  year,”  answered  Baba,  “during  the 
sixth  and  seventh  months  the  mountain  was 
‘open,’  and  pilgrims  came  from  all  over  the 
country  to  worship  at  the  crater.  Dogu  ! it  ivas 
a sight  when  the  pilgrims  came  in  their  white 
dresses,  carrying  their  staves.  Hundreds  and 
hundreds  passed  by  the  house  every  summer.  At 
the  top  was  a village  where  the  pilgrims  could 
rest,  and  honorable  husband  had  charge  of  one  of 
the  houses  and  fed  the  holy  travellers,  taking  a 
few  pence  from  each  for  rice,  tea,  and  sweet 
sake. 

“I  was  very  lonely  when  the  husband  went 
up  the  mountain.  I would  go  with  him  as  far  as 
I dared.  There  were  beautiful  flow'ers  at  the 
base  of  Fuji — lilies,  poppies,  and  other  beautiful 
plants.  But  farther  up  there  was  nothing  but 
ashes.  Our  feet  would  sink  in  them,  and  we 
could  scarcely  walk.  Then  honorable  husband 
W'ould  send  me  back  with  the  baby,  and  I 
would  work  in  the  garden  and  keep  the  house 
clean. 

“•Often  the  top  of  the  mountain  would  be  hid- 
den from  me  by  the  clouds,  and  then  again  it 
would  stand  out  clear  and  white  against  the  sky. 
There  was  always  snow  on  it.  I was  glad  to  see 


WINTER  IN  YAMAMIDZU.  139 

the  top,  and  often  looked  up  to  where  the  honor- 
able husband  was. 

“ But,  dogu  ! one  day  he  went  up  to  spend  the 
two  months  on  the  mountain,  and  never  came 
back  again.  Some  said  he  fell  down  the  crater; 
others  that  he  had  been  murdered.  Search  was 
made  for  him,  but  he  was  never  found.” 

“What  did  you  do  then.  Baba,”  askM  Ye- 
noske. 

“Honorable  father-in-law  was  a servant  of  a 
samjirai^'^  and  I went  to  live  with  him.  The 
house  was  in  a lonely  place,  and  we  had  to  work 
very  hard.  Our  master  the  daimio  was  severe, 
too,  and  we  were  heavily  taxed;  we  scarcely 
knew  what  was  our  own.  At  last  some  of  the 
farmers  determined  that  they  would  not  stand  it 
any  longer,  and  they  rose  in  a body  and  killed 
some  of  the  officers.  It  was  a long  time  before 
the  strife  ceased,  and  we  were  all  very  unhappy. 
But  at  last  peace  was  declared  between  the  daimio 

Under  the  Shoguns  the  feudal  system  prevailed  in  Japan, 
the  daimios,  or  territorial  nobles,  owning  tracts  of  land  within 
whose  limits  their  will  was  law.  The  whole  population  was 
then  divided  into  four  classes  : the  samurai,  or  military  I'ami- 
lies,  from  whom  the  retainers  of  the  daimios  were  recruited, 
and  who  had  the  right  to  wear  two  swords,  as  a sign  of  gentle 
birth,  the  farmers,  the  artisans,  and  the  merchants  or  traders. 
Since  the  revolution  of  1868  the  feudal  system  has  been  abol- 
ished ; the  daimios  have  surrendered  their  lands,  castles,  and 
retainers  to  the  Government,  and  the  people  of  Japan  are 
now  divided  into  the  three  classes  of  nobles,  gentry,  and  com- 
moners, the  last  including  the  peasantry,  artisans,  and  traders. 


140  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

and  his  servants,  and  we  were  all  ordered  to 
Yedo. 

“The  daiinio's  household  was  very  large;  and 
then  there  were  the  two-sworded  men  and  their 
retainers  and  wives  and  children.  Dogu!  it  was  a 
great  train.  We  moved  very  slowly.  The  daimid 
rode  in  a beautiful  closed  norimono''^  (a  large  litter, 
carried  by  several  bearers),  “and  all  the  people 
prostrated  themselves  before  him  as  he  passed. 
Hotels  and  tea-houses  were  made  ready  for  his  ac- 
commodation; but  we,  who  were  in  the  train,  of- 
ten got  no  rest  day  or  night. 

“Dead  bodies  of  thieves  and  murderers  were 
exposed  along  the  road,  that  men  might  see  that 
justice  had  been  done.  Sometimes  the  whole 
train  was  stopped  by  a man  throwing  himself  in 
the  road  before  us  and  presenting  a petition  to 
the  daimio. 

“ At  last  we  reached  the  great  city  and  were 
comfortably  settled  in  our  yashiki.  The  daimio 
had  feasts,  mock-battles,  and  theatricals,  and 
there  was  much  visiting.  The  samurai  were 
idle  and  drank  much  sake.  The  women  had 
nothing  to  do  and  quarrelled  among  themselves. 

“ One  day  all  Yedo  was  excited.  The  soldiers 
were  called  out,  temple  bells  were  rung,  and  fires 
were  lighted.  Some  strange  ships  were  in  the 
bay.  They  were  from  America,  and  all  they 
wanted  was  to  deliver  a letter  to  the  great  Emper- 
or. When  this  was  done  they  went  away.  Soon 


WINTER  IN  YAMAMIDZU.  141 

after  there  was  a terrible  earthquake.  There 
was  no  difference  between  the  land  and  the  sea. 
The  earth  trembled  and  seemed  to  rise  in  great 
waves  beneath  our  feet.  Houses  were  shaken 
down  and  people  were  killed. 

“ Some  years  after  that  there  was  a great  bat- 
tle in  Yedo.  I don’t  know  just  what  the  fight- 
ing was  all  about,  but  our  prince’s  establish- 
ment was  broken  up,  and  my  son,  Yenoske’s  fa- 
ther, came  to  Yamamidzu,  and  I followed  him.” 

All  this  was  not  told  without  many  interrup- 
tions. Baba  had  to  be  rubbed  and  warmed,  and 
cups  of  tea  were  given  her. 

“ Baba,  you  are  very  old;  shall  you  die  soon?” 
asked  Saijiro. 

Dogu!  I suppose  I shall,”  answered  the 
old  woman. 

“But  you  haven’t  been  wicked  enough  to  be 
put  into  burning  oil,  have  you.  Baba?”  said  the 
child,  who  still  retained  vivid  impressions  of  the 
Buddhist  hells. 

Poor  Baba  could  not  answer  this  question. 
Soon  after  telling  her  story  she  grew  almost  un- 
conscious, only  rousing  now  and  then  to  take  a 
little  nourishment. 

The  stormy  weather  continued.  Small-pox 
broke  out  in  the  village,  and  some  of  the  babies 
died.  One  day  there  was  an  unusual  stir  in  the 
town.  In  the  midst  of  a driving  storm  some  men 
arrived  carrying  a car  in  which  was  an  image  of 


142 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


the  god  of  the  sick.  From  village  to  village  in 
the  mountains,  wherever  there  was  sickness  or 
distress,  this  idol  had  been  carried.  The  Yama- 
midi:u  priests  met  it  and  services  were  held.  But 
the  sickness  did  not  cease.  Provisions  grew 
scarce.  Yenoske  worked  hard  at  his  carving,  and 
at  last  started  down  the  mountain  with  his  wood- 
enware,  in  order  to  get  some  food.  Saijiro  went 
with  him  to  the  end  of  the  village  street.  Ye- 
noske had  on  high  wooden  shoes,  which  kept  him 
out  of  the  wet  snow,  but  his  clothing  was  scanty 
and  his  feet  and  hands  were  red  with  cold.  There 
were  few  travellers  on  the  road.  Two  women  go- 
ing up  to  Hakone  carried  umbrellas  which  were 
weighed  down  by  the  snow  that  had  fallen  on 
them. 

At  a large  tea-house  a girl  leaned  against  an 
open  slide  looking  over  the  white  landscape. 
She  recognized  Yenoske,  and  asked  him  to  sit 
down  and  have  a cup  of  tea.  ‘ ‘ How  are  the  peo- 
ple of  Yamamidzu?”  she  inquired. 

‘ Doo^-u  ! they  have  small-pox  there,  and  there 
is  much  distress.  Baba  is  dying,  and  we  have 
little  food,”  answered  Yenoske. 

“ Truly,  misfortunes  !”  said  the  girl. 

Yenoske  did  not  linger  longer  to  talk,  but  hur- 
ried down  to  Odawara,  got  his  rice,  and  went 
back  to  the  village. 

The  school  was  carried  on  during  the  winter, 
but  Yetaro  was  sick  and  coughed  a great  deal. 


WINTKR  IN  YAMAMIDZU.  143 

One  day  lie  went  in  to  see  old  Baba.  She  opened 
her  eyes  and  said,  Sensei^  your  boy  is  a good 
boy.” 

The  teacher  sighed  and  said,  “ Baba,  you  are 
going  to  die,  and  I shall  soon  follow  you.  Where 
are  we  going?” 

But  Baba  went  back  into  her  stupor  again 
and  made  no  reply.  Thus  she  slept  her  life 
away.  One  golden  April  evening  a coffin  was 
carried  up  to  the  temple.  All  the  Yamamidzu 
people  followed  it;  and  when  the  funeral  services 
were  over  the  slow  procession  went  up  the 
mountain  to  the  cemetery  where  poor  Kochi  lay, 
and  Baba’s  body  was  laid  to  rest 


144 


AND  SAIJIRQ. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MITSU’S  TROUBLES. 

''''  Dogu  ! honorable  father,  dogu^  dogu!  please 
do  not  make  me  marry  the  man.’’ 

Fujisawa  Mitsn  was  pleading  with  her  father. 
A brother  officer  had  sent  a c:o-between  to  ask 
IMitsii  in  marriage  for  his  son.  Some  business  re- 
lations made  the  match  a particularly  desirable 
one  for  Fujisawa,  and  he  insisted  on  his  daugh- 
ter’s acceptance  of  the  offered  husband. 

Mitsn  had  seen  the  young  Akichi,  knew  his 
father's  family,  and  dreaded  going  to  live  with 
him. 

^^Dogn!  Mitsn,  you  are  sixteen  years  old;  it  is 
time  for  you  to  be  married.  And  as  to  happiness, 
some  women  are  happy  and  some  are  not,  and 
that  is  all  there  is  about  it.  I expect  to  be  obey- 
ed, and  you  need  say  no  more.”  Fujisawa  closed 
the  slides  behind  him  and  went  away. 

Mitsu’s  tears  were  falling:  fast.  The  cfcntle 
mother  felt  sorry  for  her  suffering  child,  but  dared 
not  interfere.  Fujisawa  was  liberal  in  many 
ways,  and  for  the  most  part  kind  to  his  wife  and 
children,  but  he  expected  implicit  obedience  from 
them,  and  would  suffer  no  remonstrances  when 


MITSU’S  troubles. 


145 


once  he  had  made  up  his  mind  as  to  what  they 
should  do.  So  he  went  off  to  the  custom-house 
leaving  Mitsu  crying  and  Mrs.  Fujisawa  trying 
in  vain  to  comfort  her. 

At  last  little  Kesa  slipped  in  and  sat  down  by 
her  sister’s  side.  “Why  are  you  crying,  honor- 
able sister?”  said  she. 

Dogu^  I must  be  married!”  answered  Mitsu. 

“But  is  that  ve7y  bad,  honorable  sister?” 
asked  Kesa,  who  remembered  well  Tama’s  happy 
marriage,  with  its  feastings,  rejoicings,  and  con- 
gratulations. “You’ll  have  beautiful  things — 
silk  dresses,  amber  hairpins,  and  beautiful  sashes. 
Oh,  Mitsu,  I should  like  to  get  married  1 But 
now  I shall  never  marry.  Rinjiro  was  to  have 
been  my  honorable  husband,  and  n'ow  he  is 
dead.” 

“Oh,  Kesa,”  said  Mitsu,  smiling  in  spite  of 
her  tears  at  the  child’s  earnest  way  of  taking  her 
early  widowhood,  “ there  are  other  husbands  left, 
and  you  will  find  one,  and  a good  one  too,  dar- 
ling. But,  Kechan,  I do  not  want  any  fine 
clothes.  It  is  Akichi,  and  we  hate  him;  and  his 
home  is  so  dirty  and  noisy.” 

So  IMitsu  sobbed  on,  while  Kesa  sat  by  her 
side  not  knowiiiQ:  what  to  do  and  with  a sorrow- 
fill,  puzzled  look  in  her  dark  eyes. 

“The  gods  bless  you,  my  daughter,”  said  Mrs. 
Fujisawa,  who  always  turned  to  her  idols  for  com- 
fort in  trouble. 


Kcs.i  mill  Saijiro. 


10 


14^  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

Then  she  went  to  Hana,  and  Kesa  got  ready 
for  school.  Mitsu  went  out  of  the  house,  down 
the  quiet  street  to  Aka.  They  had  grown  to  be 
loving  friends  of  late.  Something  drew  them  to- 
gether in  a strong  sympathy;  and  Aka  forgot  her 
own  troubles  as  she  listened  to  Mitsu’s  story,  and 
shed  tears  which  were  not  for  Rinjiro. 

Fujisawa  gave  Mitsu  beautiful  dresses  and  an 
amber  hairpin,  but  there  was  no  interest  felt  in 
the  preparations  such  as  there  had  been  for  Tama. 
Fujisawa  was  stern  and  gloomy,  Mrs.  Fujisawa 
quiet  and  sympathetic,  and  Mitsu  tearful  and  sul- 
len by  turns.  Kesa  felt  that  a shadow  rested  over 
her  home,  and  often  sought  Mitsu  and  sat  beside 
her.  The  sisters  said  little,  but  Mitsu  found  com- 
fort in  Kesa’s  presence.  She  was  a blundering 
little  thing,  not  very  quick  to  learn,  not  always 
obedient;  but  her  heart  was  full  of  love  and  her 
sympathies  were  deep  and  strong. 

Old  Kei  shed  tears  when  she  arranged  INIitsu’s 
hair  for  the  wedding,  but  they  were  not  like  those 
which  had  fallen  for  Tama. 

It  was  a dull  March  evening  when  Mitsu  was 
taken  to  Akichi’s  home  as  his  bride.  The  house 
was  a gloomy  place  near  the  east  wall  of  the 
castle.  In  the  spring  the  grass  on  the  slope 
which  stretches  from  the  wall  to  the  moat  is 
green  and  beautiful;  but  it  was  dry  and  brown 
when  Mitsu  went  to  her  new  home,  and  every- 
thing looked  dreary.  The  house  was  noisy  and 


MITSU’S  TROUBLES. 


147 


disorderly,  very  different  from  Fujisawa’s  refined, 
beautiful  home.  The  father-in-law  had  a num- 
ber of  women  in  the  house  beside  his  lawful  wife. 
Some  had  children  and  some  had  none;  and  the 
women  disputed,  quarrelled,  and  drank  sake. 

No  loving  welcome  w^as  given  to  Mitsu.  A 
room  was  assigned  her  with  no  outlook  except  at 
one  corner,  where  she  could  catch  a glimpse  of 
the  castle  wall,  with  the  trees  above  it  and  a 
gleam  of  shining  water  at  the  foot  of  the  slope. 

The  only  one  of  the  family  at  all  congenial  to 
Mitsu  was  a young  girl  named  Hota,  who  had 
been  sold  as  a kind  of  slave  to  an  old  man  in  the 
family.  She  told  Mitsu  of  her  love  for  the  young 
Jukichi  and  of  his  love  for  her.  She  showed 
Mitsu  a fan  on  which  her  lover  had  written  verses 
composed  by  himself.  They  likened  the  pale 
Japanese  girl  to  branches  of  plum-trees,  rich 
peach-blooms,  and  snow  on  the  mountain  Fuji. 
The  other  women  of  the  household  hated  Mitsu 
and  Hota,  were  jealous  of  their  mutual  friendship, 
and  gave  them  no  peace. 

There  came  a spring  morning  which  Mitsu 
long  remembered.  It  was  when  the  blossoms 
were  all  beautiful  upon  the  trees — the  blossoms  to 
which  Jukichi  had  compared  his  love.  Hota  was 
not  to  be  found  in  the  house.  Late  in  the  day 
some  fishermen  discovered  her  body  floating  in  the 
bay.  She  held  in  her  hand  the  pretty  fan,  and  in 
the  folds  of  her  dress  were  trinkets  given  her  by 


148 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


her  lover.  She  had  thus  ended  her  miserable  life. 
So  Mitsu’s  only  friend  left  her,  and  the  days 
passed  heavily  and  wearily. 

One  cold,  wintry  day  almost  a year  after  Mit- 
su’s wedding  an  old  woman  and  a young  girl 
were  walking  down  one  of  the  side  streets  of  To- 
kio,  going  towards  the  castle.  Their  heads  were 
muflled  in  their  dzukins^  or  winter  hoods,  so  that 
only  their  eyes  could  be  seen.  Those  of  the  old 
woman  were  bright,  though  her  form  was  bent; 
and  the  sparkling  face  of  the  girl  could  not  be 
entirely  hidden  even  by  the  covering  that  she 
wore. 

They  were  Fujisawa  Chive  and  IMeguchi. 
Both  of  them  carried  small  objects  that  looked 
like  sticks,  but  which  were  in  reality  something 
very  highly  prized  by  the  Japanese — plum 
branches  that  would  bloom  out  when  put  in 
water. 

“Meguchi,”  asked  Chiye  suddenly,  “do  you 
think  that  Mitsu  will  have  a vase  to  put  the 
plum-blossoms  in  ?’  ’ 

DogtiP'*  answered  Meguchi,  “poor  ]\Iitsu  ! 
I fear  not.” 

“Then  let  us  stop  and  buy  a j)rctty  bamboo 
vase  for  her,”  said  Chiye. 

The  little  shop  where  such  things  were  kept 
for  sale  was  near  them.  They  turned  aside,  and, 
sitting  down  cn  the  floor  of  the  shop,  asked  the 
shop-keeper  to  show  them  some  vases.  There 


MITSU’S  TROUBLES. 


149 


were  a good  many  styles — some  simply  a hollow 
piece  of  bamboo,  and  some  cut  into  quite  elabo- 
rate patterns;  some  were  painted,  and  some  had 
Chinese  characters  written  on  them. 

“Here  is  one  with  a pretty  poem  from  the 
Hiakuninishiu  on  it,”  said  Chiye.  “ Mitsu  loves 
the  Hiakuninishiu,  ’ ’ 

After  a little  bargaining  the  vase  was  bought, 
and  Chiye  and  Meguchi  went  on,  going  all  the 
while  towards  the  castle. 

There  was  a beautiful  display  of  tea-cups,  tea 
pots,  and  little  dishes  in  the  shops.  This  was  the 
street  for  china. 

Then  they  turned  into  the  paper  street,  where 
all  the  merchants  sold  paper.  These  merchants 
sat  by  the  hibachis^  with  their  pipes,  and  called  to 
the  passers-by  to  examine  their  fine  stock  of  pa- 
per. But  Meguchi  and  Chiye  kept  on,  and  at  last 
reached  the  house  where  Mitsu  lived.  They 
stood  outside  and  called,  “It  is  very  cold.” 

An  answer  was  heard  from  within,  and  a sour- 
visaged  woman  opened  the  door.  She  saluted 
them  and  bade  them  enter.  The  room  was  dark 
and  gloomy.  No  pride  was  taken  in  keeping 
mats  clean  and  woodwork  polished,  as  in  the  Fu- 
jisawa mansion.  There  were  no  bright  coals  in 
the  hibachi,^  and  Meguchi  shivered,  while  Chiye 
looked  at  things  with  contempt. 

“Poor  Mitsu,  to  have  such  a place  to  live 
in !”  she  thought. 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


150 

Then  she  said  aloud,  “Where  is  Mitsu?” 
There  were  several  women  in  the  room.  One 
of  them  was  rippinof  a dress,  preparatory  to  wash- 
iiiqr  it.  She  nodded  in  the  direction  of  some 
slides,  behind  which  Mitsu  was  supposed  to  be. 
Chiye  and  Meo:uchi,  followino:  this  direction, 
went  UP  to  the  slides,  drew  one  of  them  open,  and 
discovered  Mitsu  sitting  on  the  floor  in  a dejected 
posture.  She  looked  pleased  to  see  Chiye  and 
Meeuchi. 

The  latter  glanced  hastily  around  the  room. 
“Where  is  the  little  baby?”  she  said. 

said  Mitsu,  her  eyes  filling  with  tears, 
“he  is  dead  and  finished.  He  died  day  before 
yesterday,  and  they  took  him  away  and  buried 
him  somewhere.  Such  a nice  little  boy,  too  !” 
Meguchi  sat  down  beside  her  and  began  to  rub 
her — a Japanese  way  of  giving  consolation. 

said  Mitsu,  “it  is  hard.  The  hus- 
band was  very  cruel,  and  he  has  not  looked  at  me 
since.  He  drinks  much  and  is  often  angry. 
Oh,  Meguchi,  where  is  the  mother?  I wish  I 
could  go  home.” 

Meguchi  longed  in  her  heart  to  take  her  home, 
but  dared  not.  Chiye  unwrapped  the  bamboo 
vase  and  showed  it  to  Mitsu,  with  the  plum 
branches.  “They  will  come  out  in  a few  days,” 
she  said.  “They  are  the  first  we  have  had,  and 
we  bought  a vase  with  a poem  written  on  it.” 
INIitsu  found  words  to  thank  her  young  sister. 


M ITS U ' S TROUBLES.  1 5 1 

although  her  heart  was  so  heavy.  It  is  wonderful 
how  fond  the  Japanese  are  of  the  plum-blossom. 
They  are  very  poetical,  and  the  unfolding  of  the 
buds  has  a deep  significance  to  them.  Possibly 
the  blossoms  may  have  reminded  Mitsu  of  the 
little  budding  life  of  her  baby. 

DogiiP^  said  Meguchi,  “it  was  a darling  lit- 
tle one.  It  is  very  sad,  O Mitsu.  But  there  is 
trouble  at  home.  Aka  weeps  night  and  day.  Her 
tears  fall  like  the  rain.  Hana  is  very  weak  and 
sick,  and  the  mother  never  leaves  her.  Her  eyes 
are  bad,  and  the  doctor  does  her  no  good.  A let- 
ter has  come  from  Tama.  She  is  always  happy. 
Her  little  boy  is  well  and  strong,  and  the  father- 
in-law  and  mother-in-law  are  very  kind.  Truly, 
Tama  is  fortunate.” 

Poor  Mitsu ! the  tears  gathered  in  her  eyes  ; 
but  just  then  a rough  voice  called  her  name,  and 
she  hurried  away  to  perform  some  services  for  her 
mother-in-law,  whom  she  was  bound  to  obey,  and 
who  seized  every  opportunity  of  annoying  her. 
Mitsu  grieved  and  pined  in  this  uncongenial  home 
until  she  was  a mere  shadow  of  her  former  self. 
She  longed  to  die,  yet  had  no  hope  that  death 
would  bring  her  anything  better. 

The  afternoon  was  turning  bitterly  cold.  Me- 
guchi and  Chiye  hurried  home  to  get  out  of  the 
cutting  wind.  The  storm  grew  wilder  and  wild- 
er. ^ The  storm-slides  were  all  closed;  yet  the  wind 
rattled  them  and  pierced  through  the  crevices. 


152 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Many  an  old  woman  and  little  child  that  night 
trembled  for  fear  that  their  house  might  fall  on 
them. 

At  midnight  there  came  the  dreaded  cry, 
“Fire!  fire!”  All  the  bells  in  the  city  set  up  a 
terrible  clanging,  and  all  the  people  were  roused. 

Fujisawa,  opening  a slide  in  the  upper  room, 
saw  a fierce  red  glare  in  the  direction  of  the  castle. 
He  had  listened  apparently  unmoved  to  the  story 
that  Meguchi  and  Chiye  had  to  tell.  The  mar- 
riage was  his  work;  he  alone  was  to  blame;  and 
he  was  unwilling  to  acknowledge  all  its  evil  even 
to  himself.  But  when  he  saw  the  wild  light  of 
the  conflagration  he  thought  of  his  child’s  dan- 
ger, and  hastily  slipping  on  a warm  garment,  and 
calling  Oto  to  follow  with  a lantern,  he  went  out 
into  the  cold  of  the  winter  night. 

Oh,  how  the  wind  blew,  and  how  rapidly  the 
flames  spread  ! He  had  but  a short  distance  to  go 
before  getting  into  the  midst  of  the  turmoil.  Peo- 
ple were  running  with  mats,  slides  and  household 
furniture,  and  big  bundles  of  bedding  and  cloth- 
ing. Beggars  and  coolies,  merchants  and  soldiers, 
rich  and  poor,  high  and  low,  mingled  in  one  mass 
of  anxious,  hurrying  humanity.  Parents  and 
servants  carried  children  on  their  backs.  Sons 
carried  their  aged  parents.  There  was  no  thought 
of  anything  save  escape  from  the  flames. 

Strange  to  say,  most  of  the  people  carried  lan- 
terns, although  the  light  from  the  fire  was  suffi- 


MITSU'S  TROUBLKS. 


153 


cient  for  all  purposes.  The  fire-gods  were  carried 
around  and  the  firemen  were  all  out.  Oh,  the 
wildness  and  confusion  of  one  of  these  great  fires 
in  Tokio ! It  takes  such  a little  while  to  burn 
down  thousands  of  the  frail  wooden  houses. 
Alany  of  them  have  fire-proof  structures,  or  go- 
downs,  attached  to  them,  where  the  people  can 
store  their  goods  until  the  fire  is  out,  and  during 
the  progress  of  a fire  men  carry  mud  around,  with 
which  they  plaster  up  all  the  cracks  in  the  go- 
downs.  This  English  word,  which  seems  a mis- 
nomer as  applied  to  the  only  buildings  that  do  net 
“go  down”  before  a fire,  is  a corruption  of  the 
IMalay  gadong^  warehouse. 

Fujisawa  and  his  servant  were  advancing 
against  the  crowd,  and  had  difficulty  in  making 
their  way.  At  last,  by  going  through  the  back 
streets,  they  reached  the  house  where  Chiye  and 
Meguchi  had  seen  Mitsu  in  the  afternoon.  It  was 
still  standing,  but  the  people  were  preparing  to 
leave.  Fujisawa  muffled  his  head,  and  in  the 
confusion  no  one  noticed  him.  He  found  himself 
surrounded  by  a group  of  frightened,  screaming 
Avomen,  who  in  a great  panic  were  trying  to  gath- 
er up  some  of  their  possessions;  but  he  saw  no 
IMitsu.  He  went  through  the  outer  room,  and, 
going  up  to  the  slide,  softly  spoke  her  name. 
Tremblingly  she  opened  the  door,  revealing  to 
her  father  a pale,  frightened  girl. 

“Mitsu,”  said  the  father,  “come  with  me.” 


154 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“Shall  I take  the  clothing-,  father?”  she 
asked. 

“Bring some  things,  and  come  quickly.” 

Hastily  she  selected  the  articles  that  she  most 
prized  and  made  them  up  into  a bundle,  Fuji- 
sawa took  her  by  the  arm,  and  they  slipped  out  of 
the  house. 

The  wind  had  increased,  and  the  confusion  was 
terrible.  The  hot  flames  rolled  on.  Birds  left 
their  lodging-places  in  the  trees  and  flew  about 
terrified  and  screaming.  Horses  made  a stampede, 
and  dogs  and  cats  joined  in  the  wild  flight.  The 
temple  bells  were  tolled  and  the  drums  were  beat- 
en. Fujisawa,  still  holding  on  to  Mitsu,  had  to 
run  with  the  others.  Poor  I^Iitsu  soon  felt  her 
strength  giving  way  and  sank  down  at  his  side. 

The  servant  came  and  offered  Fujisawa  the 
lantern,  saying,  “ I can  carry  her  on  my  back.” 

So  Mitsu  was  lifted  on  to  Oto’s  back,  and  on 
they  went.  No  one  else  had  paid  any  attention 
to  the  fainting  girl.  Every  one  was  occupied  with 
his  own  affairs.  The  tops  of  the  palace  trees  were 
all  on  fire.  Thickly  the  sparks  flew,  and  children 
shrieked  as  the  burning  cinders  fell  about  them. 
At  last  Fujisawa  came  near  his  own  residence; 
IMitsu  had  recovered  somewhat  and  was  able  to 
walk;  the  fire  and  crowd  were  left  behind;  and 
thus,  at  midnight,  Fujisawa  Mitsu  was  brought 
home. 

The  morning  dawned  on  a scene  of  desolation. 


MITSU’S  TROUBLES. 


155 


The  burned  district  covered  a great  portion  of 
the  central  part  of  the  city.  Thousands  were  left 
homeless.  But  they  went  immediately  to  work, 
and  before  evening  temporary  shelter  had  been 
erected  for  many  families. 

Fujisawa  Mitsu  lay  for  days  sick  and  helpless 
on  her  pallet,  tended  by  old  Meguchi,  and  Chiye 
and  Kesa  had  to  go  to  school  by  themselves. 

It  was  the  third  day  of  the  month,  and  Chiye 
and  Kesa,  with  Fusa  and  Cho,  two  girls  from  the 
yashiki^  had  been  enjoying  the  “feast  of  dolls.” 
The  dolls  which  had  been  in  the  Fujisawa  fam- 
ilv  from  time  unknown  were  brought  out  and 
arranged  in  the  usual  order.  The  emperor  and 
empress  occupied  the  highest  places,  and  the  in- 
ferior dolls  were  placed  below  them.  The  girls 
had  mild,  sweet  sake  and  candies.  Chiye,  as  the 
eldest,  did  the  honors.  She  had  pretty  spring 
hairpins  in  her  hair;  they  were  of  crape,  fashion- 
ed into  flowers  and  butterflies.  When  the  girls 
were  tired  of  the  dolls,  they  took  their  battledores 
and  shuttlecocks  and  played  in  the  garden.  In 
this  new  springtime  the  garden  was  as  lovely  as 
ever.  Never  had  iris  or  wistaria  bloomed  more 
beautifully;  the  grass  never  was  smoother,  the 
sun  never  was  brighter,  and  the  girls  never  were 
happier.  With  faces  powdered,  lips  touched  with 
beni^  pretty  dresses  and  bright  sashes,  they  tossed 
the  shuttlecocks  gracefully  and  skilfully. 

“The  wind-god  is  good,”  said  Fusa,  Chiye’s 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


156 

friend;  and  they  all  sang  that  little  song  which 
Japanese  children  have  sung  for  so  many  genera- 
tions, praying  that  the  wind  might  not  blow  too 
hard  during  the  game  of  battledore  and  shuttle- 
cock. 

IMitsii  and  Hana  watched  them  from  the  house. 
Poor  Hana  never  could  play  with  the  children, 
but  she  accepted  her  sufferings  patiently. 

Kesa  had  permission  to  go  with  Meguchi  to 
see  the  young  visitors  home.  They  bowed  very 
politely  to  Mrs.  Fujisawa  when  they  went  away 
and  said  that  they  had  had  a pleasant  time. 

As  the  girls  went  down  the  street  they  saw  a 
flower-seller  with  pretty  spring  flowers  on  his 
stand,  and  stopped  to  look  at  the  blossoms. 

“Will  you  not  condescend  to  buy  some,  my 
little  ladies?”  said  the  man. 

Kesa  asked  to  be  allowed  to  carry  Aka  a 
flower,  and  Meguchi  consented. 

“But  Vvdiat  is  this?”  they  all  asked,  as  they 
spied  something  new  to  them. 

Dogu^  that  is  a foreign  flower — the  thorn- 
rose,”  said  the  man.  The  children  looked  long- 
ingly at  it,  but  had  not  money  enough  to  buy  it, 
so  they  got  a bunch  of  camellias  and  gave  them 
to  Aka,  who  smiled  on  Kesa,  while  her  eyes  filled 
with  tears. 


SUNSET  ON  THE  HAKONES. 


157 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SUNSET  ON  THE  HAKONES. 

While  Kesa  was  playing  with  the  girls  in 
Tokio,  Saijiro  was  having  a merry  time  with  the 
boys  on  the  Hakones. 

It  was  a holiday,  and  the  children  had  spent 
the  whole  afternoon  in  the  temple  inclosiire. 
They  played  leap-frog,  hide-and-seek,  catching- 
the-devil,  and  fox-and-goose.  Kojiro  had  clapped 
his  hands  and  cheered  as  loudly  as  any  of  the 
boys,  and  even  the  old  priest  laughed  as  he 
watched  the  plays. 

These  mountain  boys  were  fond  of  play,  and 
Saijiro  was  one  of  the  strongest,  brightest,  and 
merriest  of  them  all.  But  he  was  also  fonder  of 
study  than  most  of  them,  and  his  air  indicated  a 
superiority  of  birth  and  breeding  which  the  villa- 
gers did  not  fail  to  recognize;  to  all,  as  to  Yc- 
noske,  he  was  the  “little  master.” 

It  was  growing  late,  and  the  sun  had  already 
gone  down  behind  the  mountains.  Yenoske  had 
joined  the  group  of  boys  who,  tired  of  play,  were 
resting  on  the  temple  steps. 

“ Eet  us  tell  stories,”  said  Kojiro. 

The  boys  agreed,  and  called  upon  Yenoske  for 
the  first. 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


153 

Dogu,  wliat  story  do  I know?”  said  Yenoske, 
rubbing  bis  head. 

But  the  bovs  insisted,  and  Yenoske  beean: 
“Once  upon  a time  there  was  a very  wicked 
prince.  He  lived  in  the  province  of  Hizen.  He 
had  a great  castle  and  a great  many  retainers. 
These  all  carried  swords  and  fought  for  the 
prince.  Near  the  castle  lived  an  old  man  who 
reverenced  the  fox-god  and  every  morning  offered 
sacrifices  on  his  altar.  The  prince  ridiculed  the 
old  man  and  his  wife  and  would  not  worship  the 
fox-god.  Then  the  fox-god  sent  terrible  dreams 
to  the  prince.  Every  night  on  oni^  ten  feet  high, 
with  only  one  eye,  and  wrapped  in  white,  came 
to  his  bedside.  The  prince  would  shiver  and 
shake  in  his  bed  and  at  last  grew  so  thin  and 
pale  that  every  one  noticed  it. 

“ One  day  he  went  to  the  old  man  and  began 
to  talk  with  him. 

“ ‘ Why  do  you  take  so  much  pains  to  worship 
the  fox-god?’  he  said.  ‘You  are  poor;  the  crops 
are  not  good;  your  wife  is  sick.’ 

“Then  the  old  man  said,  ‘Why  do  you  look 
so  thin  and  pale?  I know  the  fox-god  is  visiting 
you  with  his  vengeance.’ 

“ Then  the  prince  grew  paler  still  and  wanted 
to  kill  the  old  man.  But  he  went  back  to  his 
house,  and  every  night  the  demon  grew  larger 
and  larger,  and  his  one  eye  more  and  more  terri- 
ble. At  last  the  prince  had  a war  with  a neigh- 


sunset  on  the  hakones.  159 

boring  prince.  He  was  defeated  and  cut  liimself 
open.  And  every  one  said  it  was  because  he  ridi- 
culed the  fox-god  and  the  poor  old  man  who 
prayed  to  him.” 

“Thanks,  very  great  thanks,  Yenoske,”  said 
the  boys,  who  had  listened  with  eyes  and  mouths 
wide  open  to  this  story  of  the  demon. 

“Now,  Chintaro,  it  is  your  turn.” 

“I  like  Momotaro,”  said  Chintaro,  throwing 
himself  down  on  the  grass. 

“He  likes  Momotaro  because  he  was  fat  like 
himself,”  said  the  boys. 

“ I like  him  because  he  was  good  to  his  adopt- 
ed parents,”  said  the  indignant  Chintaro. 

“Well,  go  on  with  your  story,”  persisted  the 
crowd. 

So  Chintaro  told  the  well-known  tale.  “One 
day  an  old  woman  went  down  to  the  stream  to 
wash.  A great  peach  rolled  down  and  the  old 
woman  took  it  home  to  her  husband.  ‘ Husband, 
here  is  a peach  for  you,’  said  she  as  she  entered 
the  house. 

^ Dogu^  what  a large  peach!’  said  the  old 
man,  who  was  feeble  and  lay  on  his  couch. 

“The  old  woman  cut  it  into  two  pieces,  and 
out  rolled  a baby.  The  baby  grew  to  be  a fine 
large  boy  and  made  his  adopted  parents  very 
happy.  But  he  read  in  a book  of  a demon  who 
had  great  treasures  beyond  the  sea.  His  parents 
were  old  and  poor,  and  iMomotaro  wanted  to  get 


l6o  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

the  treasure  and  make  the  old  man  and  woman 
comfortable.  So  he  bowed  a saionara  to  them 
and  went  off.  He  had  gone  but  a short  distance 
when  up  came  a dog,  a bird,  and  an  ape,  who 
offered  to  help  him.  So  they  all  got  into  a boat 
and  went  to  the  demon’s  home.  The  door  was 
of  wood,  very  heavy,  and  strongly  bolted.  But 
IMomotaro  and  his  three  brave  companions  beat 
open  the  door,  killed  the  demon,  and  got  the 
treasures.  So  they  all  came  home  in  a big  sail- 
boat, with  coral,  gold,  and  clothes;  and  the  old 
woman  and  the  old  man  were  comfortable  and 
happy  ever  afterwards.” 

Chintaro  turned  a few  somersaults  and  went 
on.  “ I like  to  hear  about  the  thunder-god.  l\Iy! 
wouldn’t  I like  to  help  him  beat  his  drum!  And 
yesterday  we  read  in  school  about  the  big  turtle 
who  carries  the  world  on  his  back,  and  when  he 
shakes  himself  we  have  an  earthquake.” 

Then  little  Nanjirowas  called  upon  for  his  story. 
Giving  two  or  three  jumps  for  the  benefit  of 
the  baby  hanging  on  his  back,  he  began:  “Once 
there  was  a very  bad  girl.  She  cried  when  her 
hair  was  combed,  and  a little  black  demon  went 
and  sat  on  her  head.  She  was  angry  because  she 
had  to  sew,  and  demons  jDulled  her  work  to  pieces. 
She  did  n’t  want  to  go  to  school,  and  black  de- 
mons pinched  her  legs.  At  last  the  demons 
pulled  her  out  from  her  father’s  house  and  she 
had  to  go  and  live  in  a dark,  bad  place. 


SUNSET  ON  THE  HAKONES.  l6l 

< 

“There  was  another  girl  who  was  very  good. 
She  was  patient  while  her  hair  was  being  dressed, 
and  beautiful  white  fairies  came  and  gave  her 
lovely  hairpins.  She  was  diligent  in  school, 
and  the  fairies  made  beautiful  flowers  grow  along 
her  pathway.  She  worked  long  and  diligently  at 
her  sewing,  and  the  fairies  gave  her  beautiful 
clothes,  and  at  last  she  got  a fine  husband  and  a 
beautiful  boy.” 

“Who  cares  to  hear  about  girls?”  said  Chin- 
taro  contemptuously.  “ Man  taro,  tell  us  about 

the  old  man  who  made  the  trees  blossom.” 

So  Mantaro  told  the  story  that  the  Japanese 
love  so  well,  of  the  good  old  man  who  sprinkled 
ashes  on  the  trees.  The  trees  burst  into  beautiful 
blossoms,  and  the  prince  of  the  country,  who  was 
resting  in  the  shade,  came  and  rewarded  the  old 
man. 

Then  a bad  old  man  tried  to  do  the  same 
thing,  but  he  only  succeeded  in  sprinkling  ashes 
in  the  eyes  of  the  prince  and  made  him  very 
angry. 

Then  Saijiro  was  called  upon  for  his  tale. 

“Well,”  said'  he,  “I  will  tell  about  a book  I 
am  readinof  with  the  honorable  father.  Once 
upon  a time  there  was  a man  who  wanted  to 
travel.  So  he  visited  a great  many  kingdoms. 
One  was  the  kingdom  of  Babyland.  In  it 
there  lived  a great  number  of  very  small  peo- 
ple who  had  no  teeth  and  no  hair  and  who  had 

II 


Kpsa  anil  Saijiro. 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


162 

to  be  carried  about.  And  they  spoke  a strange 
language.  It  was  ‘goo-goo’  and  ‘da-da’  and 
‘ mama.  ’ ’ ’ 

Dogu  ! Taijiki  belongs  to  that  country,”  said 
the  boys,  as  they  laughed  heartily.  Taijiki  was 
Nanjiro’s  baby. 

“Then,”  continued  Saijiro,  “he  went  into 
the  kingdom  of  Avarice,  where  the  people  would 
not  do  anything  unless  they  were  paid.  He  had 
to  go  on  some  sort  of  a flying-machine,  and  got 
caught  in  a tree.  He  begged  the  people  to  take 
him  down,  but  they  only  came  and  looked  at 
him  and  said,  ‘ Honorable  sir,  if  yon  have  mon- 
ey and  can  pay  ns,  we  will  bring  a ladder  and 
help  you  down.’ 

“There  is  a picture  of  a man  in  a tree,  with 
all  the  people  looking  at  him.  At  last  he  took 
some  money  out  of  his  sleeve,  showed  it  to  the 
people,  and  they  let  him  come  down. 

“Then  he  went  into  the  kingdom  of  Hying. 
He  found  a schoolhonse,  and  on  it  was  a notice  that 
the  honorable  teacher  would  teach  lying  on  a cer- 
tain day.  The  man  went  there  on  the  appointed 
day,  but  there  was  no  teacher.  Only  there  was 
another  notice,  telling  the  scholars  to  come  the 
next  day.  Every  day  he  went,  and  every  day 
there  was  the  same  notice  posted  up.  At  last  he 
got  very  angry,  found  the  man,  and  asked  what 
he  meant. 

“ ‘ Honorable  sir,  do  not  be  so  angry,’  said  the 


SUNSET  ON  THE  HAKONES.  163 

man ; ‘ I advertised  to  teach  lying,  and  that  is  the 
way  I do  it.’  ” 

The  boys  thought  Saijiro’s  stories  very  fine. 
They  had  never  heard  any  of  them  before. 

“Now  Mejiki,”  they  said,  when  they  had 
discussed  the  various  kingdoms. 

Mejiki  thought  a moment,  and  said,  “I  have 
a new  book  which  honorable  father  brought  from 
Tokio.  It  was  sent  by  my  honorable  uncle.  In 
it  is. a new  story.  Once  there  was  an  old  man 
who  had  a terrible  lump  on  the  side  of  his  face. 
One  evening  he  went  out  to  take  a walk,  and 
while  he  was  walking  the  sun  went  down,  and  he 
lost  his  way.  He  didn’t  know  what  to  do,  and 
at  last  hid  in  the  hollow  of  a tree.  While  he  was 
there  he  heard  a noise  as  of  many  people  singing 
and  talking.  The  old  man  peeped  out  of  the 
tree  and  saw  some  imps  coming  down  the  road. 
At  first  he  was  much  frightened. 

“The  imps  stopped  near  the  tree  and  made  a 
fire.  Then  they  began  to  dance.  The  old  man 
was  so  pleased  that  at  last  he  got  out  from  the 
tree  and  began  to  dance  too.  The  imps  cheered 
and  said,  ‘Old  man,  you  dance  well.  We  will 
take  off  your  lump.’  Then  they  took  the  old 
man’s  lump  off,  and  he,  very  much  pleased,  went 
home  without  it. 

“Now  he  had  a neighbor  who  had  a lump  on 
his  face.  When  he  saw  the  cured  old  man,  he 
thought  he  would  go  and  see  if  the  imps  would  n’t 


164 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


take  off  his  lump  too.  The  good  old  man  told 
him  where  to  go;  so  he  went  and  hid  in  the  tree, 
and  when  the  imps  came  he  got  out  and  danced. 
But  the  imps  said,  ‘ You  do  not  dance  well. 
Shame,  old  man,  shame  !’  And  they  took  the 
lump  which  the  other  man  had  had  and  clapped 
it  on  the  other  side  of  his  face.  So  he  went  home 
with  two  lumps.” 

This  was  a new  story  to  the  boys,  and  they 
thought  it  very  interesting. 

Ginjiro  thought  up  a new  story  too. 

“The  story  of  the  wicked  badger  is  in  our 
book,”  he  said.  “ There  was  no  food  in  the  land 
where  the  badgers  and  the  foxes  lived.  Poor  mo- 
ther-fox was  sorry  for  baby-fox,  who  cried  with 
hunger.  Then  said  wicked  Mr.  Badger,  ‘ Mo- 
ther-fox, I will  pretend  to  be  dead,  and  you  can 
take  me  to  the  town  and  sell  me;  and  when  you 
get  the  money  I will  run  away  !’  So  mother-fox 
took  the  badger  to  town  and  sold  him.  She  got 
the  money  and  bought  some  food.  The  badger 
ran  home,  and  for  a time  they  had  plenty  to  eat. 
But  at  last  the  food  was  all  gone.  Then  said  the 
badger,  ‘ Mother- fox,  it  is  your  turn.  You  must 
pretend  to  be  dead,  and  I will  carry  you  to  town.’ 
So  mother-fox  pretended  to  be  dead,  and  Mr. 
Badger  carried  her  to  town  and  sold  her.  But 
to  the  man  who  bought  her  he  said,  ‘Take  care; 
that  fox  is  not  dead;  she  is  only  pretending. 
Then  the  man  took  a club  and  struck  her  on  the 


SUNSET  ON  THE  HAKONES.  165 

head  and  killed  her.  So  Mr.  Badger  had  all  the 
money.  He  bought  food  and  ate  it  all  himself, 
while  baby-fox  looked  on  and  cried.  At  last 
baby-fox  grew  up.  He  was  determined  to  be  re- 
venged. So  he  made  the  badger  change  himself 
into  a man  and  go  and  bow  before  the  prince. 
But  the  prince  cried  out,  ‘ A badger  ! a badger  !’ 
and  ordered  the  servants  to  kill  him.  The  baby- 
fox  stood  behind  a tree  and  laughed.  ’ ’ 

There  was  no  one  but  little  Kojiro  left  to  tell  a 
story  now,  and  the  air  was  growing  chilly. 

“Boys,  you  had  better  go  home,”  said  an  old 
priest  who  had  been  standing  near  and  listening. 

“Let  Ko  tell  something  first,”  begged  the 
children. 

“I  will  tell  what  Saijiro  told  me,”  said  Ko, 
drawing  close  to  his  friend.  “There  was  once  a 
boy  in  China  named  Tsu  Loo.  He  had  to  go  fifty 
miles  to  get  rice  for  his  parents.  But  he  went 
cheerfully  and  never  minded  the  hard  work. 
And  afterwards,  when  he  grew  up  and  became 
rich  and  honored,  he  was  not  so  happy  as  when 
he  was  poor  and  worked  for  his  parents. 

“There  was  another  boy  whose  name  was 
Keang  Kih.  He  lived  alone  with  his  mother 
and  was  very  kind  and  good  to  her.  A time  of 
trouble  arose  in  the  province,  and  he  ran  away, 
carrying  his  mother  on  his  back.  He  was  very 
much  afraid  of  meeting  robbers,  and  at  last  did 
meet  them.  They  were  about  to  rob  him,  but 


iG6 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


when  they  saw  how  kind  he  was  to  his  mother 
they  let  him  go. 

“There  was  another  boy  whose  father  and 
mother  died  when  he  was  very  young.  When 
he  grew  older  he  grieved  all  the  time  because  he 
could  do  nothing  for  his  parents.  So  he  made 
two  wooden  images,  one  of  his  father  and  one  of 
his  mother,  and  served  them.” 

The  boys  all  liked  Ko’s  stories.  But  the  dark- 
ness was  falling  over  Yamamidzu.  Nanjiro  had 
long  ago  taken  the  baby  home,  and  all  the  other 
boys  were  ready  for  their  suppers.  Saijiro  ran 
over  the  bridge.  His  father  had  eaten  his  even- 
ing meal,  and  the  boy  swallowed  his  rice  in  si- 
lence and  went  to  bed. 


THE  GOOD  DOCTOR. 


167 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  GOOD  DOCTOR. 

The  silence  of  a summer  midnight  rested  over 
Tokio.  It  was  not  dark.  The  moon  rode  hi^h  in 
the  heavens,  and  there  were  lights  scattered  here 
and  there  over  the  cit}^  Far  out  in  the  bay  fish- 
ermen’s torches  could  be  seen,  and  lamps  gleamed 
from  lighthouses  and  watch-towers.  The  mos- 
quitoes were  holding  high  festival.  Now  that 
most  of  the  people  were  asleep,  it  was  their 
time. 

But  there  is  never  an  hour  when  every  one  in 
a great  city  is  asleep;  and  in  Tokio  that  night 
there  were  many  who  rested  not.  There  were 
priests  in  the  temples  tending  the  sacred  altars, 
beating  the  sacred  drums,  and  praying  to  their 
idols.  There  were  wicked  men  abroad,  thieves, 
robbers,  would-be  murderers,  lurking  around  in 
the  darkest  streets  and  trying  to  avoid  the  watch- 
men, who,  striking  their  staves  with,  bells  heavily 
on  the  ground,  gave  evil-doers  a chance  to  escape 
if  they  were  so  inclined.  The  low  haunts  of  sin 
and  vice  were  open.  Men  were  drinking,  gam- 
bling, and  committing  deeds  of  shame  which  they 
dared  do  only  under  cover  of  the  night.  There 
were  sick  people  turning  restlessly  upon  their  pal- 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


1 68 

lets,  and  men  and  women  whose  hearts  were  too 
full  of  cares  and  anxieties  to  sleep. 

In  one  of  the  mission-houses  in  the  Foreign 
Concession  a light  was  still  burning  in  the  room 
of  a missionary,  a man  on  whose  heart  rested  the 
burden  of  human  souls.  He  was  bowed  in  prayer 
before  God  in  the  midst  of  a great  heathen  city. 

In  Fujisawa’s  house  in  the  Kudan  most  of  the 
family  were  sleeping  under  the  great  green  nets 
which  Japanese  use  to  protect  themselves  from 
mosquitoes.  Fujisawa  himself  had  gone  to  the 
upper  room.  Mitsu,  Chiye,  and  Kesa  had  their 
futons  under  one  net  in  a large  room  down  stairs. 
Kesa  slept  quietly  between  her  two  sisters.  The 
servants  occupied  apartments  at  one  end  of  the 
large  house.  The  slides  were  closed,  the  lamps 
burned  dimly,  the  busy  bustle  of  the  day  was 
over.  But  through  the  house,  every  few  mo- 
ments, there  resounded  a low  cry,  a cry  of  pain, 
which  was  immediately  followed  by  tones  of 
soothing  tenderness  in  another  voice,  the  voice  of 
a mother  trying  to  comfort  her  suffering  child. 

Before  the  altar  in  Mrs.  Fujisawa’s  room  can- 
dles were  burning  brightly  in  tall  polished  candle- 
sticks. Fresh  flowers,  fruits,  and  vegetables  were 
set  out  on  lacquered  tables  for  the  gods.  On  a 
little  writing-table  near  by  were  books  which  the 
good  woman  had  been  reading.  They  were  books 
of  Buddhist  doctrines,  teaching  absorption  into 
the  divine  essence,  the  heavenly  contemplations. 


THE  GOOD  DOCTOR. 


169 

the  migrations  of  the  soul — all  the  vague  mys- 
teries of  Buddhism.  There  was  the  book,  too, 
which  Mrs.  Fujisawa  loved  best — a story  of  the 
sixteen  disciples  of  Shaka  Sama,  their  devout 
lives,  their  peaceful  deaths.  From  this  book  she 
often  read  to  Hana,  thus  quieting  her  pain. 

But  now  she  sat  by  Hana’s  side,  rubbing  her 
aching  limbs,  bathing  her  head,  holding  her  hot, 
restless  hands,  and  soothing  the  tired  little  heart 
with  comforting  and  loving  words. 

“Ah,”  says  the  Japanese  proverb,  “mother- 
love  is  high  as  the  mountain  and  deep  as  the 
sea.  ’ ’ 

For  thirteen  years  Mrs.  Fujisawa  had  thus 
tended  this  suffering  child.  Now  the  disease 
dreaded  most  by  the  Japanese — the  kake—\\2A 
taken  strong  hold  of  her,  a disease  which, 
beginning  in  the  feet,  creeps  gradually  up  to 
the  heart — a slow,  sure  death.  There  is  no  es- 
cape, no  doubt  of -the  end.  Mrs.  Fujisawa  knew 
that  her  little  flower  was  withering  fast  out  of  her 
sight. 

“Honorable  mother,”  said  Hana,  “the  doctor 
says  I have  kake.  If  so,  I must  die.” 

Dogu!  yes,  my  darling.” 

“ I want  to  be  with  the  gods  in  paradise,  but  I 
do  not  want  to  leave  you,  kachan^  nor  Mitsu  nor 
Chiye  nor  Kesa  nor  the  honorable  father.  I do 
not  know  whether  I could  see  you  again;  and 
oh,  kaclian^  I have  thought  and  thought,  but  I do 


I/O  KHSx\  AND  SAIJIRO. 

not  know  whether  any  of  the  gods  love  me.  I 
have  said  Shaka  Sama’s  name  over  and  over  so 
many  times,  and  yet  he  does  not  help.  Kacha7t^ 
kachan^  who  can  tell  me?” 

Poor  mother!  All  of  her  Buddhist  books  have 
not  told  her  of  love,  nor  whether  dear  ones  that 
part  in  such  agony  here  will  meet  again  in  heav- 
en. She  cannot  help  her  darling  as  she  sees  her 
drawing  near  to  the  shadow  of  death. 

The  flickering  candles  lighted  up  the  golden 
faces  of  the  gods.  There  they  sat  in  solemn  state 
amid  the  lights  and  flowers,  Benten  Sama,  Ye- 
bisu,  Daikoku,  the  beautiful  image  of  Buddha — 
Hana  could  look  into  their  faces;  kindly,  benevo- 
lent faces  they  were,  sweet  and  compassionate  in 
their  expression.  Surely  there  was  nothing  to  be 
feared  from  them ! Surely  they  would  look  merci- 
fully upon  a child’s  soul  going  alone  into  the 
dread  unknown!  Yet  the  child  was  unsatisfied, 
and  the  mother,  who  would  gladly  have  given  her 
life  for  her,  was  unable  to  comfort  her. 

'''' Dogn^  darling,”  she  said,  “to-morrow  we 
will  go  to  Asaxa  to  Bindzuru’s  most  holy  shrine. 
You  shall  pass  your  hands  over  his  honorable 
body,  and  perhaps  he  will  give  you  rest.  We 
will  pray  again  and  again.  But,  dogu!  daughter, 
what  the  gods  will  is  best.  Oh,  sleep  now,  my 
darling;  sleep,  sleep.” 

She  lay  down  beside  Hana  and  sang  one  of 
the  songs  of  Old  Japan,  a song  of  blossoms  and 


THE  GOOD  DOCTOR.  IJI 

waving  trees.  The  child  listened  and  was  soothed. 
At  last  both  slept. 

“I  shall  take  Hana  to  Asaxa  to-day,”  an- 
nounced the  mother  to  the  family  at  breakfast. 

“Please  take  me,  too,”  begged  Kesa.  “It  is 
a holiday,  kachan  ; I don’t  have  to  go  to  school.” 
Dogit,  Kesa,  you  are  so  rough  and  noisy;  you 
trouble  Hana.” 

“ I will  be  quiet,  honorable  mother.” 

Mrs.  Fujisawa  sent  the  servant  to  order  jin- 
rikishas.  “ Bring  old  Sankichi,”  she  said. 

The  man  came  and  prostrated  himself  before 
her  while  she  gave  her  orders. 

“Sankichi,  I want  to  take  my  sick  child  to 
Asaxa.  Can  you  take  her  gently,  so  that  she  will 
not  be  jarred?” 

“I  will  be  very  careful,  honorable  mistress,” 
answered  the  man. 

“Then  bring  two  jinrikishas.  Mitsu  and 
Kesa  will  go  with  us.” 

Hana  was  dressed  and  carefully  wrapped  in 
blankets  and  lifted  into  the  cart;  Mrs.  Fujisawa 
got  in  beside  her;  Mitsu  and  Kesa  occupied  the 
other  jinrikisha:  Chiye  went  to  see  her  friend 
Fusa,  and  the  house  was  left  almost  as  still  as  it 
was  at  the  midnight  hour. 

The  coolies  drew  the  carts  slowly  through  the 
streets.  They  left  the  quiet  of  the  Kudan  and 
came  out  upon  the  broad  Tori,  the  principal  busi- 
ness street  of  Tokio,  and  a part  of  the  same  great 


172 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


national  road  alon^  which  Yenoske,  Saijiro,  and 
the  teacher  went  so  often  in  their  journeyings  to 
and  fro  on  the  Hakones. 

“See,  Hana,”  said  the  mother,  “these  houses 
are  like  those  of  the  honorable  foreigners,  with 
doors  and  windows.” 

The  child  raised  her  eyes  wearily  to  look  at 
the  new  houses.  Just  then  a coach  passed  them 
filled  wdth  Englishmen,  and  on  the  sidewalk  were 
a foreign  lady  and  gentleman  and  a little  girl, 
who  wore  a white  hat  trimmed  with  blue 
ribbons. 

“Oh,  Mitsu,”  said  Kesa,  delighted,  “seethe 
little  girl  ! How  I wish  I knew  her.” 

“It  is  the  same  one  we  saw  at  the  honorable 
foreigners’  house  the  day  we  passed  in  the  boat,” 
said  Mitsu.  “I  have  heard  of  them.  They  are 
called  Jesus- teachers.  They  do  not  believe  in  our 
Shaka  Sama.” 

“ Chiye  and  I do  not  care  for  Shaka  Sama.” 

“Oh,  Kesa,”  said  Mitsu,  “you  and  Chiye 
must  not  talk  together  about  the  gods.  You  will 
grieve  the  honorable  mother  and  make  the  honor- 
able father  very  angry.  ’ ’ 

“But,”  persisted  Kesa,  “the  other  day  old 
Daikoku  Sama  fell  down  and  broke  his  nose,  and 
had  to  sro  and  get  mended.  I don’t  think  the 
gods  can  help  us  when  they  can’t  help  them- 
selves.” 

Mitsu  sighed,  but  could  not  answer. 


THE  GOOD  DOCTOR. 


173 


Just  then  they  were  crossing  Nippon  bridge, 
the  most  wonderful  bridge  of  all  Japan;  for  it  is 
the  centre  of  Japan,  and,  consequently,  the  centre 
of  the  world.  From  it  all  distances  are  reckoned 
in  the  empire. 

“A  long  while  ago,’’  said  Mitsu  to  Kesa, 
“ there  were  edicts  written  on  boards  which  were 
nailed  up  here.  They  said  that  any  one  who  lis- 
tened to  the  Jesus- teachers,  and  believed  in  their 
doctrines,  should  be  put  to  death.” 

“ I am  glad  they  are  not  there  now,”  said  Ke- 
sa, “for  I like  the  Jesus- teachers.” 

“You  do  not  know  anything  about  them, 
Kesa,”  Mitsu  said  severely. 

On  went  the  coolies  through  the  crowded  city 
streets,  until  at  last  they  came  up  to  the  temple. 
There  are  always  people  going  to  worship  there, 
and  when  Mrs.  Fujisawa  and  her  children  got  out 
of  their  jinrikishas  at  the  gate,  they  found  them- 
selves in  a crowd  of  gayly  dressed  people  who  car- 
ried new  summer  umbrellas.  It  was  a holiday. 
One  of  the  gods  was  to  be  carried  out  in  his  car. 
Poor  Hana  could  scarcely  walk.  Her  mother  and 
]\Iitsu  carefully  assisted  her  up  the  steps,  while 
Kesa  danced  on  ahead. 

“Be  reverent,  my  daughter,”  said  Mrs.  Fuji- 
sawa. “You  will  anger  the  great  god  Bindzurn, 
and  Hana  will  get  no  help.” 

So  Kesa  stopped  her  dancing,  and  worshipped 
with  the  others  before  entering  the  temple.  The 


174 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


old  wooden  statue  of  Bindzuru  stood  near  the 
door.  His  nose  and  ears  were  almost  gone  and 
his  eyes  could  scarcely  be  seen.  All  of  his  body 
was  worn  smooth  by  the  rubbing  of  thousands  of 
afflicted  ones.  “For,”  said  the  people,  “what- 
ever part  of  your  body  is  pained,  rub  the  corre- 
sponding member  of  the  god’s  body,  and  help 
will  come.” 

Hana  and  her  mother  approached  the  idol  and 
waited  for  their  turn.  Another  mother  stood 
there  with  her  blind  baby.  She  folded  its  little 
hands,  made  it  bow  its  little  head,  then  guided 
its  tiny  fingers  to  the  eyes  of  the  image.  A lame 
man  rubbed  the  god’s  feet.  A weeping  woman 
besought  Bindzuru  for  some  loved  sufferer  at 
home.  Hana’s  turn  came  at  last.  There  was 
something  strangely  spiritual  in  her  looks.  All 
her  faith  in -the  gods  had  returned.  She  had 
come  for  help  and  was  sure  of  getting  it.  With 
a rapt  expression  on  her  face  she  passed  her 
trembling  hand  over  Bindzuru’ s body. 

“Truly,  very  sick,”  murmured  the  bystand- 
ers, nodding  to  one  another  as  they  noted  her 
pale  face  and  wasted  form.  They  saw  her  lifted, 
almost  fainting,  into  the  jinrikisha.  “It  is  too 
late,”  they  .said. 

Mitsu  and  Kesa  took  their  places.  The  coo- 
lies lifted  the  shafts  and  waited  respectfully  for 
directions. 

“We  will  go  and  see  Kei,”  said  Mrs.  Fujisa- 


THE  GOOD  DOCTOR.  1 75 

\va.  “Nippon  Boshu,”  i.  e.  bridge,  “first  street 
to  the  right,  number  48.” 

When  the  coolies  called,  0 iano  mos/iimasti^^'* 
— “I  call  1”  the  polite  way  of  announcing  one’s 
arrival  on  a visit — old  Kei  pushed  aside  the 
slides.  Seeing  who  her  visitors  were,  her  face 
beamed  with  delight. 

“Truly,  welcome,”  she  said.  “A  great  sur- 
prise! Come  in.” 

Hana  was  laid  carefully  on  a futon  to  rest 
The  others  sat  on  the  floor.  Tea  was  brought, 
fans  were  handed  round,  many  compliments  were 
exchanged. 

Now  Kei  had  just  found  a wonderful  book. 
She  had  been  absorbed  in  it  when  her  visitors  ar- 
rived, and  had  laid  it  down  beside  the  hibachi. 
Her  spectacles  were  still  between  the  pages,  and 
the  place  they  marked  read  thus  : 

“And  at  even,  when  the  sun  did  set,  they 
brought  unto  him  all  that  were  diseased  and  them 
that  were  possessed  with  devils.  And  all  the  city 
was  gathered  together  at  the  door.  And  he  healed 
many  that  were  sick  of  divers  diseases.” 

Mrs.  Fujisawa  saw  the  book  and  asked  what 
it  was. 

Doguf  said  Kei,  “it  is  one  of  the  Jesus- 
teachers’  books.” 

Mrs.  Fujisawa  looked  shocked.  “But  the 
Jesus-teachers  instruct  their  pupils  to  give  up  all 
worship  of  our  gods.  How  can  they  be  right?” 


176 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Kei  answered,  Dogu^  I don’t  know.  But  it 
is  the  most  interesting  book  I ever  read.  I have 
heard  how  this  Jesus,  with  the  Father,  God,  made 
the  world.” 

“But,”  said  Mitsu,  “we  know  already  how 
the  gods  made  Japan.  What  does  it  matter  how 
the  Christians’  country  was  made?” 

“It  tells  some  wonderful  things  about  the 
Jesus-God,”  persisted  Kei.  “He  could  open  the 
eyes  of  the  blind  and  make  the  lame  walk.” 

“ Shaka  Sama  did  far  more  wonderful  thinofs,” 
said  Mrs.  Fujisawa.  “ I have  heard  how  the  God 
of  the  Christians  walked  on  the  water;  but  Dam- 
ma  Sama  came  over  from  China  on  a leaf.  Ho- 
tel Sama  floats  on  the  water  on  his  rice  pouch. 
I cannot  see  but  that  our  gods  do  just  as  wonder- 
ful things  as  the  God  of  the  Christians.” 

answered  Kei,  “I  don’t  know  about 
that.  I never  saw  a book  like  this  before,  and  I 
mean  to  read  it.  The  honorable  foreign  doctor 
has  great  skill  and  good  medicines;  why  don’t 
you  take  Hana  to  him?” 

“I  fear,”  was  the  gentle  answer,  “that  no 
one  can  do  good  who  despises  Shaka  Sama  and 
his  teachings.” 

Here  the  conversation  ended.  The  guests 
drank  more  tea  and  then  went  home. 

Hana  grew  worse  rather  than  better,  and  her 
faith  in  Bindzuru  was  sorely  tried. 

“Take  the  child  to  the  foreign  doctor  in  the 


THE  GOOD  DOCTOR. 


177 


Concession,”  said  Fujisawa  to  his  wife  as  one  day 
Hana’s  low  moans  reached  his  ears.  Poor  Mrs. 
Fujisawa!  It  was  her  last  hope.  Both  mother 
and  child  shrank  from  the  Christians  and  from  all 
knowledge  of  the  Christians’  God.  But,  oh!  to 
have  her  darling’s  life  spared  ! So  it  happened 
that,  one  June  afternoon,  among  the  many  others 
who  crowded  the  good  doctor’s  dispensary  in  the 
mission,  Mrs.  Fujisawa  and  Hana  awaited  their 
turn  and  the  doctor’s  decision. 

Does  any  life  lived  upon  earth  come  nearer  to 
that  which  the  Lord  Jesus  lived  than  that  of  the 
missionary  doctor?  Surely,  the  people  crowding 
about  the  door  of  the  house  where  the  Saviour 
tarried  in  Capernaum  were  like  these  who,  on 
that  summer  afternoon  in  Japan,  waited  for  the 
word  and  touch  of  his  disciple.  There  were 
blind  and  lame  and  withered.  There  were  those 
covered  with  loathsome  sores  and  those  grievous- 
ly tormented  with  pain.  The  doctor  went  from 
one  to  another,  administering  remedies  and  speak- 
ing kindly  words.  He  stood,  at  last,  before  Hana 
and  her  mother. 

“What  is  it  that  you  want,  my  good  woman  ?” 
he  asked. 

The  mother  lifted  her  eyes  to  that  friendly  face 
and  was  reassured  by  what  she  saw  there.  “ My 
little  daughter  has  been  sick  and  we  fear  that  she 
will  die;  and  we  do  not  know  where  her  spirit 
will  go.  She  is  afraid.  We  have  heard  of  your 

12 


KpHa  and  Saijiro. 


178  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

skill  and  have  come  to  ask  you  to  save  her 
life.” 

The  doctor  looked  into  Hana’s  worn  face,  felt 
her  feeble  pulse,  examined  her  swollen  limbs. 
The  dire  disease  was  there  and  slowly  creeping 
upward  to  her  heart.  All  of  his  skill  would  avail 
nothing.  His  heart  yearned  over  the  child, 
shrinking  back  even  now  from  the  darkness,  the 
uncertainty  of  death ; over  the  mother,  dreading 
to  see  her  child  go  into  it  without  her.  He  bent 
over  Hana  as  if  to  examine  more  closely.  In 
reality  he  was  seeking  for  some  words  to  meet 
the  need  of  child  and  mother.  The  stillness  of 
the  room  was  broken  only  by  the  “swish,  swish” 
of  waves  against  the  breakwater  and  by  the  soft 
sighing  of  the  summer  wind. 

“Do  you  see  the  picture  on  the  wall,  my 
child?”  asked  the  doctor  at  last. 

It  was  a picture  of  a shepherd  leading  his 
flock.  In  his  arms  he  carried  a tender  lamb. 

“ Is  it  the  Jesus-God  of  the  Christians?”  asked 
Mrs.  Fujisawa. 

“No,”  answered  the  doctor,  “it  is  only  a 
shepherd.  But  the  Lord  Jesus  says  that  he  is 
like  a shepherd.  He  loves  children  as  a shep- 
herd loves  his  lambs.  He  holds  them  in  his 
arms.  He  carries  them  in  his  bosom.” 

To  the  darkened  souls  who  heard  the  doctor’s 
words  this  Jesus-God  was  only  one  of  many  gods. 
But  “loves,”  “holds,”  “carries;”  not  one  of 


THE  GOOD  DOCTOR. 


179 


the  Buddhas,  not  one  of  the  gods  of  Japan,  ever 
spoke  such  words  as  these.  The  three  little 
words  were  like  three  little  seeds  dropped  into 
Hana’s  heart.  But  it  was  long  ere  they  found 
strength  to  germinate.  Always,  however,  she 
bore  in  her  memory  the  picture  of  the  shepherd 
leading  his  lambs.  Her  extreme  dread  of  the 
foreigners  was  gone  from  that  time. 

“But  can  you  help  my  child,  honorable  doc- 
tor?” inquired  the  mother  anxiously. 

“ I think  I can  give  her  some  medicine  which 
will  relieve  her  pain,  my  good  woman.  And  you 
must  come  again.” 

Kesa  was  watching  for  them  when  they  re- 
turned home.  She  was  eager  to  hear  what  they 
had  seen  and  what  they  had  done.  Had  they 
seen  the  little  foreign  girl  ? Hana  was  too  weary 
to  answer  questions,  and  the  mother  was  never 
communicative.  So  Kesa’s  curiosity  remained 
ungratified. 


i8o 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER'  XVI. 

THE  STORM  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Just  beyond  the  Hakones,  near  the  town  of 
Shidznoka,  where  the  ex-Shogun  lives,  lies  the 
Oyania  range.  Within  its  dark  recesses,  so  say 
the  people,  dwells  a dread  deity  whose  anger 
must  be  appeased  by  most  solemn  and  mysterious 
rites,  who  grants  forgiveness  to  those  only  who 
perform  severe  penances.  One  sultry  July  morn- 
ing, not  long  after  the  day  on  which  Hana  and 
her  mother  visited  the  missionary  doctor,  some 
men  were  dragging  a heavy  cart  up  one  of  the 
steepest  of  the  Oyama  passes. 

There  was  scarcely  a breath  of  air  on  the 
mountain.  The  leaves  were  drooping  on  the 
trees;  flowers  and  grasses  hung  their  heads.  The 
perspiration  stood  in  great  drops  on  the  men’s 
bodies;  but  they  did  not  stop  either  for  rest  or  for 
refreshment.  They  went  on,  on  with  that  weary 
load,  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  heart  of  the 
mountain.  Climbing,  they  chanted  a wild  song, 
often  calling  upon  the  name  of  the  god  and  stri- 
king their  breasts.  Their  breasts  were  bruised 
and  sore,  their  feet  torn  and  bleeding,  their  faces 
pale  and  distorted  with  the  violence  of  their  wor- 
ship. Their  hands  were  cut  by  the  cart-rope. 


THE  STORM  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS.  l8l 

Never  a word  spoke  they  to  each  other.  Over 
and  over  again  they  chanted  their  prayer. 

First  of  all,  bearing  the  chief  weight  of  the 
burden,  went  Yetaro,  the  Yainamidzu  school- 
teacher, Saijiro’s  father.  How  he  panted  ! Fre- 
quently a terrible  cough  racked  his  frame.  But 
he  did  not  falter.  He  was  trvinof  his  last  chance 
for  favor  with  the  gods  of  Japan.  This  failing, 
he  had  nothing  left.  At  last,  however,  the  weary 
chanters  paused  for  an  instant.  But  it  was  only 
to  listen  for  something.  Faintly,  from  afar  off, 
came  mingled  sounds  as  of  drums,  of  gongs,  of 
human  cries. 

“We  near  the  temple,”  said  one.  “ At  noon 
we  shall  worship  there.” 

“Take  courage,  brother,”  said  a second. 

“The  great  Buddha  be  praised!”  chimed  in 
a third. 

The  temple  which  the  new-comers  gained  at 
last  was  small.  The  densest  shade,  unbroken 
by  a single  ray  of  sunshine,  was  all  around  it. 
Never  a ray  of  hope  had  entered  the  hearts  of 
those  who  worshipped  there.  Never  a traveller 
had  descended  that  mountain  with  new  peace  in 
his  heart.  It  was  an  altar  of  despair,  a place  cf 
gloom  and  of  the  shadow  of  death. 

Up  came  the  weary  wretches  with  their  cart 
before  the  gate.  A priest  advanced  to  meet  them 
and  all  prostrated  themselves. 

“ It  is  well,  O friends,”  said  the  priest.  “You 


1 82  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

have  drawn  the  sacred  car  up  the  mountain.  En- 
ter and  pray.” 

Yetaro  let  go  the  rope.  A sickening  sense  of 
exhaustion  and  of  utter  misery  rushed  over  his 
spirit,  a loathing  of  life  and  of  the  rites  of  Buddh- 
ism. But  he  struggled  through  the  gate  and 
went  to  a fountain  to  bathe  before  entering  the 
temple.  How  terribly  oppressive  the  air  was! 
How  difficult  for  those  failing  lungs  to  do  their 
work!  How  hard  for  the  faltering  heart  to  find 
strength  to  worship!  Yetaro’ s heart  and  flesh 
were  failing.  He  entered  the  temple  and  pros- 
trated himself  before  the  altar.  Poor  feet,  cut 
and  torn!  Poor  hands,  bruised  and  wounded! 
Poor  heart,  broken  and  without  hope!  There  he 
lay  before  the  idols,  the  grim,  ugly,  unforgiving 
idols.  He  had  come  there,  but  now  he  found  no 
words  to  call  upon  the  god,  no  strength  to  beat 
the  drums  or  sound  the  gongs.  The  din  around 
him  increased  with  the  ardor  of  the  worshippers. 

“Beat  the  drums!”  called  the  priests.  “Shout 
the  name  of  the  god.  Call  upon  him;  he  is  away. 
Call,  call,  call!” 

But  Yetaro  heard  it  all  dimly,  as  at  a distance; 
it  seemed  to  him  only  an  empty,  frightful  din.  A 
sad  hopelessness  had  seized  him.  In  his  weak- 
ness there  came  a thought  of  his  boy  playing  hap- 
pily in  peaceful  Yamamidzu,  a thought  of  the 
time  when  Kochi  had  gone  in  and  out  before  him, 
with  his  bright,  merry  baby  on  her  back.  Then 


TIIK  STORM  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS.  183 

came  a memory  of  sweet  running  water  in  liis 
village  home  and  of  the  lilies  Saijiro  loved  so 
well,  but  never  a thought  of  the  god  before 
whose  shrine  he  lay.  It  was  all  over  for  Yetaro; 
the  weary  pilgrimage  of  the  years  was  finished; 
the  crying  to  Japan’s  gods  for  mercy  would  be 
heard  from  his  lips  no  more. 

While  the  priests  and  people  chanted  the 
praise  of  this  god  a severe  storm  burst  over  the 
temple.  Yetaro  joined  not  in  the  song,  but  in  a 
lull  of  the  rain  went  away  from  the  temple  with 
the  sound  of  the  chant  ringing  in  his  cars.  With 
difficulty  he  made  his  way  back  to  the  main  road. 
The  rain  poured  down  upon  him,  wetting  him  to 
the  skin,  kittle  streams  swollen  into  torrents 
tried  to  turn  him  back.  He  waded  through  them 
down,  down,  away  from  the  terrible  mountain  to 
the  great  highway.  He  would  look  upon  his 
boy’s  face  once  more  and  die. 

At  sunset  that  evening  Yetaro  sat  at  a little 
wayside  tea-house  just  where  the  mountain  road 
meets  the  Tokaido,  the  great  highway  between 
Tokio  and  Kioto.  The  heavy  clouds  had  rolled 
over  and  were  broken  into  great  fleecy  masses  of 
white,  with  borders  of  gold  and  tinged  with  sun- 
set colors,  pinks,  purples,  and  blues.  The  setting 
sun  threw  long  rays  of  light  over  the  landscape, 
Yetaro  sat  on  a bench  drinking  a cup  of  tea.  For 
days  he  had  eaten  little  and  was  well  nigh  ex- 
hausted. kifting  up  his  eyes  he  saw  a man  com- 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


184 

ing  from  the  Hakones,  a traveller  like  himself. 
Yetaro  arose  and  they  bowed  down  to  the  ground. 

“ From  what  place  are  you?”  asked  Yetaro. 

“Thanks,”  answered  the  man,  “I  have  come 
from  Tokio.” 

“Are  you  going  up  to  the  mountain  to  pray  ?” 
asked  the  teacher. 

“No,”  answered  the  stranger,  “I  worship  the 
idols  no  more.  I have  heard  the  Jesus-teachers, 
and  I want  to  believe  as  they  do.  I do  not  ini- 
derstand  very  well,  but  I have  a book  from  which 
I read.  I am  going  back  to  Tokio  to  learn  more.  ’ ^ 
He  drew  from  one  of  his  big  sleeves  a copy  of  the 
Gospel  of  Mark,  Kei’s  beloved  volume. 

^^DogitT^  said  Yetaro.  “Doesht  tell  about  a 
man  who  hung  on  the  cross?” 

“Yes,”  answered  the  traveller;  “ I will  find 
you  the  place.  ’ ’ 

So  in  the  fading  light  Yetaro  and  the  stranger 
read  together  Mark’s  story  of  the  crucifixion. 

“Do  you  know  why  he  hung  there?”  asked 
Yetaro  when  they  could  see  no  more. 

Dogit!’''  answered  the  man,  “I  cannot  tell 
very  well,  but  the  teacher  said  it  w^as  because  we 
have  all  sinned,  and  he  bore  our  punishment.” 

A great  joy  shot  through  Yetaro’s  heart.  His 
resolution  was  taken.  He  would  go  to  Tokio 
and  find  the  Jesus- teacher,  and  Saijiro  should  go 
with  him. 

Date  the  next  afternoon  Yetaro  came  into  the 


THE  STORM  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS.  185 

village,  where  Saijiro  was  having  a merry  game 
with  the  boys.  There  was  a new  teacher  from 
Tokio  at  the  Yamamidzu  school,  and  the  instruc- 
tion was  no  longer  confined  to  the  Chinese  clas- 
sics; the  boys  and  girls  were  taught  something 
besides  these.  The  teacher,  dressed  partly  in  for- 
eign style,  sat  by  a table,  while  his  books  were 
neatly  arranged  in  a bookcase  instead  of  being 
piled  up  on  the  floor.  The  schoolhouse  itself  had 
been  repaired.  There  were  clean  mats  on  the 
floor  and  the  roof  no  longer  leaked.  There  was  a 
blackboard  in  the  hall,  and  the  pupils  learned  the 
Japanese  syllabary  and  Chinese  characters  from 
that.  The  girls  were  delighted  with  the  charts, 
from  which  they  had  object  lessons.  Even  blind 
Ko’s  hands  were  guided  around  the  great  globe, 
as  he  with  the  others  learned  the  shape  of  the 
world  and  the  relative  positions  of  the  countries. 
Graded  readers  had  been  introduced  with  inter- 
esting stories  ill  them;  and  the  pupils  learned  of 
Washington,  Napoleon,  and  other  noted  charac- 
ters. The  Japanese  Government  had  determined 
that  all  the  people  should  be  instructed  in  the 
new  sciences. 

Saijiro  stopped  playing  when  he  saw  his  father 
and  saluted  him,  bowing  down  to  the  ground. 

“You  will  come  home  with  me,  my  son,” 
said  Yetaro;  and  together  they  crossed  the  little 
swinging  bridge. 

The  boy,  eager  to  prepare  the  evening  rice  for 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


1 86 

liis  father,  walked  on  without  asking  any  ques- 
tion as  to  his  journey. 

“Saijiro,”  said  the  father  at  last,  “in  two 
days  you  will  be  ready  to  go  with  me  to  Tokio.” 
Much  astonished  as  Saijiro  was,  he  merely 
bowed  his  head.  The  father  continued  his  direc- 
tions. “We  will  shut  up  the  house  and  carry 
what  clothing  we  can  with  us.” 

“ Shall  we  be  long  away,  honorable  father?” 
asked  Saijiro. 

“A  very  long  time,  my  son.  I shall  come 
back  no  more,  and  you  will  remain  with  the  hon- 
orable foreigners.” 

That  evening  Yenoske  learned  the  teacher’s 
intention  of  leaving  Yamamidzu  and  going  to 
Tokio.  His  heart  was  heavy  at  the  thought,  and 
he  stood  for  a long  while  in  the  starlight,  leaning 
against  the  side  of  the  house  and  thinking  over  a 
plan  he  had  in  his  mind.  At  last  he  went  in, 
and  finding  his  aged  father  and  mother  sitting  on 
their  mats  smoking  pipes  preparatory  to  retiring, 
he  said  as  he  prostrated  himself  before  them, 

“ Honorable  parents,  the  sensei  and  the  little 
master  go  to-morrow  to  Tokio.  The  sensei  is 
very  ill,  and  will  die  and  leave  the  little  master 
alone  in  the  great  city.  DogiL  ! I crave  your  hon- 
orable permission  to  go  with  them.  I cannot  let 
them  go  alone.” 

Dogu  ! dogu  P'  said  the  old  man  and  the  old 
woman  together.^  “We  can  ill  spare  you.  Ye- 


Tilt:  STORM  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS.  1 87 

noske.  Who  will  take  care  of  us  and  manage  the 
business  ?” 

‘ ‘ Dogu^  honorable  parents,  how  can  the  sejtsei 
and  the  child  go  alone?”  questioned  Yenoske  in 
his  turn. 

“It  is  true,”  said  the  father;  “ as  you  please, 
my  son.  You  will  return  to  us  by-and-by.  Rev- 
erence the  gods.  ’ ’ 

“Thanks;  a great  thank-you,”  answered  Ye- 
noske. “May  you  rest  well,  honorable  parents. 
Good  night.” 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


1 88 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FROM  YAMAMIDZU  TO  TOKIO. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  of  the  second  day 
after  the  teacher  returned  to  Yaniamidzu  Yenoske 
pushed  aside  the  slide  of  his  parents’  house;  pass- 
ing softly  out,  he  went  to  the  shed  where  the 
horse  was  chewing  a bit  of  rice  straw,  and  stood 
for  a moment  with  his  arm  thrown  lightly  over 
the  animal’s  neck. 

There  was  something  wonderfully  alike  in  the 
pair.  Yenoske  was  patient,  so  was  the  horse; 
Yenoske  often  went  hungry,  so  did  the  horse; 
Yenoske  asked  no  questions,  neither  did  the 
horse.  Many  and  many  a mile  had  they  travelled 
together  through  summer  heat  and  winter  cold, 
treading  rough,  toilsome  ways  and  bearing  heavy 
burdens  without  murmur  or  complaint.  Yenos- 
ke’s heart  was  too  loyal  to  allow  him  to  part  from 
his  faithful  friend  without  regret.  He  stroked 
the  animal’s  mane,  looked  into  his  eyes,  and  then, 
leaving  an  extra  supply  of  rice  straw  where  he 
could  get  it,  turned  away  and  went  towards  the 
house. 

Strong  as  was  his  love  for  the  mountains,  for 
father,  mother,  and  home,  he  had  a yet  stronger 
passion,  and  that  was  his  love  for  Saijiro.  The 


FROM  YAMAMIDZU  TO  TOKIO.  189 

boy  was  liis  darling,  liis  heart’s  desire,  and  his 
little  master.  Yenoske  had  always  obeyed  every 
command  of  the  child,  carrying  him  on  his  back, 
climbing  precipices  for  lilies,  and  wading  into 
deep  streams  for  lotus  flowers  and  bulbs.  When 
he  left  home  his  last  thought  was  for  “ Saichan.  ” 
During  his  journeys  everything  that  could  inter- 
est or  please  the  child  was  stored  away  in  his 
memory  to  be  related  on  his  return.  There  was 
always  something  for  Saijiro  stored  away  in  his 
sleeves  or  in  the  bosom  of  his  dress. 

This  morning  Yenoske  had  his  head  bound 
with  a blue  ’kerchief,  and  in  one  hand  he  carried 
a broad-brimmed  hat.  He  wore  a loose  robe 
pulled  up  above  his  knees.  He  was  all  ready  for 
his  journey.  Just  as  he  reached  the  house  the 
slides  were  pushed  open,  and  his  mother,  who 
had  evidently  just  arisen  from  her  bed,  stood  be- 
fore him.  Yenoske  saluted  her. 

“Get  ready  quickly,  honorable  mother.  I 
hear  the  little  master  coming,  and  it  is  time  to 
start.” 

Saijiro  had  come  across  the  bridge,  and  Yc- 
noske  could  hear  the  sound  of  his  wooden  clogs 
as  he  came  rapidly  up  the  village  street. 

“Is  the  honorable  father  all  ready,  Saijiro?” 
asked  Yenoske. 

“ He  will  meet  us  at  the  bridsfe.” 

In  a few  minutes  Yenoske,  accompanied  by 
his  parents,  turned  away  from  the  hotel  and  went 


190 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


to  the  bridge,  where  they  found  the  teacher  wait- 
ing for  them.  It  was  growing  lighter,  and  they 
could  just  see  the  outlines  of  the  house  where  Ye- 
taro  had  lived  so  long,  where  Saijiro  had  spent 
his  childhood,  and  where  Kochi  had  died.  Ye- 
taro  gave  one  backward  glance  as  they  stood  there, 
and  the  little  company  moved  on. 

As  they  passed  the  temple  little  Ko  joined 
them.  He  had  been  waiting  long  for  Saijiro, 
and  now  ran  to  him  and  took  hold  of  his  hands, 
sobbing  with  grief  at  the  thought  of  losing 
him. 

“ Don’t  cry,  Ko.  I will  come  back  again  and 
tell  you  such  beautiful  stories  of  what  I see  in  the 
city,”  said  Saijiro. 

“Tell  me  about  the  beautiful  gods  you  see, 
Saijiro;  and  if  you  should  go  to  the  great  Buddha’s 
image  which  the  hon-sama  has  told  me  about, 
think  of  me  and  tell  me  about  it.” 

They  were  going  up  a narrow  mountain  path. 
Yamamidzu  lies  down  on  the  side  of  the  mount- 
ain, so  they  had  to  go  up  some  distance  before 
reaching  the  Tokaido,  or  great  Bast-Sea-Road, 
which  leads  down  into  the  town.  The  road  was 
steep  and  slippery,  and  only  the  great  stones  kept 
them  from  sliding  at  every  step.  Brighter  and 
brighter  grew  the  morning,  until  at  last  up  came 
the  sun  over  the  mountain,  and  all  the  flowers 
woke  to  beauty  and  all  the  birds  to  song.  Then 
the  inn-keeper  and  his  wife  and  Yenoske  saluted 


FROM  YAMAMIDZU  TO  TOKIO. 


191 


the  sun,  rubbed  their  hands,  bowed  their  heads, 
and  prayed.  The  warm  beams  poured  down  over 
their  heads  and  filled  the  valley  with  light.  But 
the  sun  listened  not  to  their  prayers. 

Yetaro  did  not  worship,  and  Saijiro,  watching 
his  father,  likewise  remained  silent;  but  Ko’s 
worship  came  from  the  depths  of  his  little  heart 
as  he  turned  his  face  upwards  as  though  to  receive 
a blessing. 

At  last  they  came  to  the  main  road  and  the 
time  of  parting.  It  was  a beautiful  spot.  Just 
wdiere  the  two  ways  met  was  a waterfall,  and 
directly  in  front  of  the  waterfall  a lovely  glade, 
with  rocks  and  trees  and  clinging  vines.  A sum- 
mer-house was  there,  and  in  the  summer-house 
were  two  ladies,  evidently  from  the  city.  They 
were  admiring  the  scenery. 

“ Beautiful,  truly  beautiful  !”  said  one. 

“ B"or  the  first  time,”  said  the  other. 

The  ladies  had  on  plaid  sashes  and  trailing 
dresses.  They  looked  curiously  at  the  little  party 
from  the  village,  and  covered  their  mouths  with 
their  sleeves  as  they  passed.  Their  coolies  \vere 
on  the  road  opposite  the  tea-house  eating  their 
morning  rice. 

It  was  in  this  place  near  the  tea-house  that 
the  Yamamidzu  friends  separated. 

“Farewell,  sensei^''''  said  the  innkeeper  and 
his  wife  to  Yetaro;  and  “Farewell,  little  mas- 
ter,” to  Saijiro. 


192 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Ko’s  tears  were  falling  again,  and  lie  clung  to 
Saijiro. 

The  old  woman  wept  niiicli  when  she  bade  fare- 
well to  her  son,  and  even  his  father  wiped  his  eyes. 

^^Saionara;  you  have  been  a good  son,  Ye- 
noske.  Take  care  of  the  honorable  sensei  and  the 
little  master,”  said  his  mother. 

‘ ‘ Saionam^  my  son ; do  u’ t forget  to  w’orship,  ’ ’ 
said  the  father. 

“Be  good  to  Ko,  Baba,”  urged  Saijiro,  the 
tears  gathering  in  his  eyes. 

Down  upon  the  ground  they  all  fell,  saying 
their  last  farewells  and  parting  with  real  sorrow. 
Then,  taking  little  Ko,  Yenoske’s  parents  went 
back  to  their  village.  The  others,  lifting  upon 
their  shoulders  the  sticks  to  which  their  bundles 
were  tied,  went  on  under  great  overhanging  trees 
down  towards  Odawara.  A grand  old  high’way, 
that,  between  the  two  capitals  of  Japan  ! Over  it 
the  daimios  used  to  pass  with  their  trains  in  the 
days  of  old  Japan.  The  Dutch  passed  along  it  on 
their  yearly  visits  to  the  Shogun’s  capital. 

The  morning  being  so  lovely,  our  travellers 
went  on  cosily  enough.  Yetaro  was  feeling  bet- 
ter, and  talked  to  Saijiro  as  they  walked.  Perhaps 
you  would  not  have  guessed  that  the  guttural 
sound  issuing  from  Yenoske’s  throat  was  singing. 
Yet  he  was  considered  a good  singer  in  Yamamid- 
zu.  He  knew  the  words  of  all  the  best  Japanese 
songs. 


FROM  YAMAMIDZU  TO  TOKIO.  1 93 

The  sun  grew  hotter  and  hotter.  Yetaro’s 
strength  was  easily  exhausted,  and  at  an  early 
hour  they  stopped  for  their  nooning.  A clear  lit- 
tle brook  flowed  by  the  roadside.  They  took  their 
blue  ’kerchiefs,  dipped  them  in  the  brook,  and 
wiped  faces,  hands,  and  chests.  Then  stooping 
down  they  drank.  Seating  themselves  under  a 
tree,  Yenoske  opened  a box  and  took  out  rice  and 
daikon.  This,  with  some  tea  bought  from  a tea- 
house near  by,  was  their  frugal  meal.  The  spot 
could  not  have  been  more  lovely.  The  trees 
formed  a roof  thick  enough  to  protect  them  from 
the  sun.  Soft  moss  made  a couch  better  than  any 
to  which  they  had  been  accustomed.  The  brook 
ran  close  by,  and  all  around  were  flowers  and 
vines.  The  music  of  a waterfall  sounded  in  their 
ears.  There  were  katydids,  grasshoppers,  and 
tree-toads  about  them,  but  nothing  hurtful. 

Almost  hidden  from  our  travellers  by  a turn  in 
the  road  was  a little  thatched  cottage.  Near  it 
the  brook  suddenly  widened.  Some  women  were 
standing  in  the  water  washing  clothes.  Their,, 
voices  could  be  heard  through  the  sounds  of  dip- 
ping and  pounding.  One  could  almost  distinguish 
what  was  said.  Yenoske  and  the  teacher  lay  upon 
the  ground  resting  and  smoking  their  pipes.  Sai- 
jiro  amused  himself  by  watching  the  women  and 
turning  occasional  glances  upward  at  the  fleecy, 
clouds.. 

But  at  last  the  women  finished  their  washing 

o 


Ke§a  and  Saijiro, 


13 


194 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


and  carried  the  clean  clothes  away  in  tubs  to  the 
cottage.  Some  men  passed  by  on  their  way  up 
the  mountain.  A fine  lady  went  by  on  a litter. 
A traveller,  like  our  Yamamidzu  people,  appeared 
and  saluted  them.  He  asked  where  they  were 
going. 

“Thanks;  we  are  on  our  way  to  Tokio.’’ 

“Ah,”  returned  the  stranger,  “I  am  just  from 
Tokio.  Do  you  go  to  see  the  sights  or  to  pray  at 
one  of  the  shrines?” 

Yetaro  answered,  “No;  we  are  going  to  look 
for  the  Jesus-teachers  and  find  out  about  one  of 
their  gods,  one  who  died  upon  a cross.” 

The  stranger  had  heard  of  the  Jesus-teachers, 
he  said.  “But  I have  never  listened  to  their 
teachings.  The  old  way  is  good  enough  for 
me.  ’ ’ 

The  day  was  passing.  Yetaro  and  his  com- 
panions rose  to  continue  their  journey.  The  af- 
ternoon grew  hot;  the  way  was  steep  and  weari- 
some. Early  in  the  evening  they  reached  Oda- 
wara  and  went  to  a hotel.  There  the  occupants 
were  already  preparing  for  the  night.  As  usual, 
the  large  gloomy  kitchen  was  in  front.  Servants 
were  busy  boiling  rice,  cutting  daikons^  frying 
fish,  making  tea,  and  doing  a thousand  other 
things.  Girls,  carrying  trays,  rice-bowls,  and  tea- 
pots, were  hurrying  from  the  kitchen  to  the  upper 
stor\',  where  guests  were  assembled.  Every  now 
and  then  was  heard  a loud  clapping  of  hands  from 


FROM  YAMA^MIDZU  TO  TOKIO. 


the  guests,  followed  by  a prolonged  from 

the  kitchen.  There  was  a splashing  of  water  in 
a large  tank  where  travellers  availed  themselves  of 
the  luxury  of  a hot  bath.  In  another  apartment 
blind  shampooers  were  hard  at  work  rubbing  and 
pounding  tired  travellers. 

After  seeing  that  Yetaro  and  the  boy  had  a 
room  and  some  refreshments,  Yenoske  went  off 
with  the  servants.  Candles  were  brought,  green 
nets  were  hung,  futons  and  pillows  were  provided, 
and  Yetaro  and  Saijiro  lay  down  side  by  side. 

Yenoske  woke  first.  “Come,”  he  said,  light- 
ly touching  the  sleeping  boy,  “it  is  time  to  get 
up  and  make  ready  for  the  journey.  Get  water 
for  the  honorable  father  and  then  bring  rice  and 
tea.” 

Saijiro  rubbed  his  eyes.  He  had  forgotten  that 
they  were  in  Odawara.  He  jumped  up  and  hur- 
ried out  into  the  courtyard  of  the  hotel.  Early 
as  it  was,  most  of  the  coolies  had  gone — some  to 
carry  kagos  up  the  mountain,  some  to  drag  jin- 
rikishas  along  the  great  highway,  and  others  still 
to  lead  pack-horses  up  the  narrow  passes,  or  them- 
selves, transformed  into  mere  beasts  of  burden,  to 
bear  heavy  loads. 

The  day  was  sultry.  Not  a breath  of  air  came 
from  land  or  sea.  Saijiro  bathed  himself  at  a 
fountain,  and  then  begged  a basin  in  which  to 
carry  water  to  his  father.  A girl  gave  him  one, 
and  also  a blue  cotton  towel. 


196  fCESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

Yetaro  was  up  when  Saijiro  reentered  their 
chamber. 

The  servants  brought  rice  and  tea,  and  Yetaro 
and  Saijiro  ate  breakfast. 

“Honorable  sensei^''''  said  Yenoske,  stepping 
just  inside  the  room  and  stooping  in  a reverential 
manner,  “shall  you  take  a jinrikisha?  Dogu^  the 
way  is  long,  and  you  are  weak!” 

The  teacher  shook  his  head. 

A few  minutes  later  they  started  on  their  jour- 
ney, still  going  toward  the  East  Sea  and  the 
great  city  Tokio.  Yenoske  had  spoken  truly.  It 
was  a long  way  and  a weary  one.  The  sun  poured 
his  fiercest  rays  upon  their  unsheltered  heads; 
the  sand  of  the  road  burned  and  blistered  their 
feet.  Not  a tree  along  the  high  wav  for  shade 
and  coolness ; not  a green  field  to  invite  them 
to  rest  and  refreshment.  There  were  few  travel- 
lers. Once  a party  of  pilgrims  passed  on  their 
way  to  I\It.  Fuji.  Yetaro  shuddered  when  he 
saw  them. 

“It  is  all  of  no  use,  my  boy,”  he  gasped,  as 
he  saw  Saijiro  looking  earnestly  at  the  men  in 
their  white  dresses.  “I  have  done  it,  and  I know 
no  peace.” 

Once  Yenoske  urged  him  to  go  and  rest  in  a 
temple  inclosure;  but  Yetaro  would  not  enter. 

“I  have  done  it  all,”  he  reiterated.  “I  am  on 
my  way  to  the  Jesus- teachers.” 

At  noon  they  came  to  a quiet  river  rippling 


FROM  YAMAMIDZU  TO  TOKIO.  I97 

brightly  along  on  its  golden  sands.  Yenoske  went 
to  find  a boat,  leaving  Saijiro  with  his  father. 
The  teacher  looked  very  white.  Indeed,  Yenoske 
-had  gone  but  a few  steps  when  Saijiro  was  calling 
after  him:  “Oh,  Yenoske!  what  is  the  matter 
with  the  honorable  father?” 

Yetaro  had  fainted.  Yenoske  brought  water 
quickly,  and,  some  men  coming  np,  he  was  lifted 
into  a boat  that  had  jnst  arrived.  The  rest,  the 
cool  breeze,  and  some  rice  procured  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river  revived  the  dying  man.  Slow- 
ly, slowly  they  went  along  the  Tokaido,  and  in  the 
evening  they  came  to  a little  town  where  Yenoske 
said  they  must  remain  a while. 

“To-morrow  night,”  murmured  Yetaro,  “we 
shall  be  in  Tokio.” 

The  little  village  at  which  they  had  stopped 
stood  in  the  midst  of  some  riee-fields.  The  Ha- 
kones  were  scarcely  visible;  but  all  around  were* 
foot-hills,  green  as  emeralds  and  covered  with 
trees,  maples,  cedars,  and  pines.  Around  one  of 
these  hills,  the  one  nearest  the  hotel,  wound  a 
beautiful  stream.  Flowers  bloomed  in  the  hotel 
-garden.  The  air  was  cool  and  pleasant.  How 
different  it  was  from  crowded,  noisy  Odawara  ! 

“Oh,  honorable  father,  isn’t  it  nice!”  said 
Saijiro,  as  they  sat  at  the  open  slides  of  an  upper 

room  eating  their  Slipper.  " - 

The  sun  had  gone  down,'  and  the  soft  evening 
■light  gave  the  landscape  a red  tinge.  Saijiro  had 


198 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


never  before  seen  rice-fields  when  the  q:rain  was 
ripening.  His  eyes  were  delighted  with  the  rich 
green. 

When  Yetaro  lay  resting  under  the  mosquito- 
net,  Saijiro  and  Yenoske  stole  out  for  a walk  over 
the  fields.  One  of  the  hotel  girls  offered  to  ac- 
company them.  The  three  went  together  over  a 
narrow  path  leading  through  the  rice-paddies. 
The  ground  was  very  wet,  and  frogs  were  trying 
to  see  which  one  of  them  could  make  the  most 
noise.  The  girl  suggested  that  they  should  go  to 
see  the  waterfall.  Already  the  boys  could  hear 
the  sound  of  it.  Yenoske’ s heart  gave  a great 
bound.  It  was  like  home,  his  home  in  the  Ha- 
kones.  But  Saijiro  looked  rather  contemptuously 
at  the  baby  waterfall,  scarcely  higher  than  his 
head. 

“Do  you  call  that  a waterfall?”  said  he. 
“Why,  in  our  country  we  can’t  see  up  to  the 
heights  from  which  the  water  tumbles.” 

“Aud  where,”  asked  the  girl,  “may  your 
honorable  country  be?” 

Dogu  ! it  is  in  the  Hakones.  We  are  going 
to  Tokio  to  find  the  Jesus-teachers.  The  honor- 
able father  wants  to  learn  their  doctrine.” 

“Two  of  the  Jesus-teachers  stopped  here 
seven  days  ago,”  the  girl  said.  “They  were  011 
their  way  to  the  Hakones.  They  told  us  about 
one  God,  and  sang  some  songs  about  him  and  a 
happy  land.  But  the  song  said  that  the  land  was 


FROM  YAMAMIDZU  TO  TOKIO.  1 99 

far,  far  away,  and  I do  not  know  where  it  can  be. 
I like  this  country  well  enough.” 

The  speaker  was  dressed  in  a blue  calico. 
Her  sleeves  were  tied  up,  that  she  might  not  be 
impeded  in  her  work.  She  had  a round,  rosy  face 
and  well-developed  lim.bs.  She  leaned  against 
the  hillside,  while  Saijiro  lay  at  her  feet  looking 
at  the  rice-fields.  Yenoske  sat  by  the  little  wa- 
terfall. He  loved  its  music.  Ts’koi  lay  curled 
up  in  a heap  near  his  master.  Smoke,  tinged 
with  the  sunset  red,  rose  from  different  parts  of 
the  rice-paddies.  Thatched  cottages  of  farmers 
made  the  scene  more  picturesque. 

The  last  day’s  journey  was  over  rice-fields 
and  under  shady  trees,  until  they  came  to  the 
lower  land  near  the  sea  and  the  great  plain 
on  which  Tokio  lies.  There  was  no  smoke 
rising  from  high  chimneys,  no  domes  or  min- 
arets or  towers,  to  indicate  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  large  city.  They  came  upon  it  sud- 
denly ill  the  evening,  entering  by  way  of  the 
Kudan. 

The  teacher  looked  long  and  earnestly  over 
the  city  as  they  stood  on  one  of  the  heights  above 
Fujisawa’s  house.  “The  Jesus-teacher  lives 
over  by  the  bay,”  he  whispered. 

His  strength  was  fast  failing.  The  boys  could 
see  that  he  was  very  pale  and  haggard  in  the  twi- 
light. 

They  passed  Fujisawa’s  door.  The  whole 


200 


KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


family  stood  there  making  their  saionaras  to  Kei, 
who  had  been  dressing  the  ladies’  hair. 

“ Kesa,”  said  Chive,  “see  that  poor  sick  man, 
with  the  boy  and  servant  and  that  funny  yellow 
dog.  ’ ’ 

111  truth  Yetaro  was  very  ill;  and  at  last,  his 
strength  failing  utterly,  he  sat  down  on  the  steps 
of  a small  temple.  Saijiro  hung  over  him  in 
some  alarm,  while  Yenoske  went  for  water.  Just 
then  old  Kei  came  up  to  them.  Now  the  Japan- 
ese will  often  pass  dying  persons  in  the  street, 
leaving  them  to  their  pain  and  woe  without  so 
much  as  giving  a word  of  sympathy.  It  is  strange 
that  the  same  religion  which  teaches  them  not  to 
tread  upon  a worm  nor  to  torture  a fly  should  be 
so  indifferent  to  human  life  and  suflering.  But  a 
man  is  only  a man;  and  a worm  may  be  an  ances- 
tor or  some  great  and  holy  person  in  this  vile 
form!  Kei  had  been  reading  too  much  of  the 
gospel,  and  its  truth  had  made  too  deep  an  im- 
pression on  her  heart,  not  to  be  touched  at  the 
sight  of  the  dying  man  and  the  distressed  boy. 

“What  is  it?”  she  asked  of  Saijiro. 

Yetaro  opened  his  eyes. 

said  Saijiro,  “ this  is  my  honorable 
father;  he  has  travelled  a__long  way,  and  he  is 
very  ill.” 

- “From  whence-did  you  come?”  asked  Kei. 

“ Thanks;  from  the  Hakones.” 

Just  then  the  sunset  light  was  gilding  those 


FROM  YAMAMIDZU  TO  TOKIO. 


201 


mountain-tops,  making  a long  bright  line  along 
the  horizon. 

“We  have  come  to  find  the  Jesus-teacher,” 
added  Saijiro.  “ My  father  wants  to  know  of  the 
doctrine.” 

Then  Kei’s  heart  was  touched  indeed.  Ye- 
noske  came  with  the  water  and  Yetaro  was  some- 
what revived.  A coolie  was  called,  and  the  sick 
man  was  lifted  into  a jinrikisha. 

“Take  me  to  the  Jesus-teacher,”  he  said;  “I 
have  no  time  to  spare.” 

Slowly  went  the  little  procession  through  the 
darkening  streets,  that  seemed  endless  to  Saijiro, 
and  on  down  to  the  mission-house  on  the  bay. 
The  coolies  drew  the  cart  up  before  the  gate,  and 
Kei  asked  for  “ the  honorable  missionary  doctor.” 
He  came  immediately. 

DoguP^  said  Kei,  making  her  bow,  “ I have 
found  a sick  man  who  has  come  all  the  way  from 
the  Hakones  to  learn  of  your  doctrine.” 

The  doctor  saw  at  a glance  that  poor  Yetaro’ s 
hours  were  numbered. 

“Make  ready  a room  in  the  servants’  quar- 
ters,” he  said.  “Give  the  stranger  some  refresh- 
ments, and  I will  come.” 

Yetaro  was  lifted  out  of  the  cart  and  laid  on  a 
pallet  in  one  of  the  servants’  rooms.  He  took  a 
little  tea  and  then  asked  impatiently  for  the  doc- 
tor. 

The  doctor  came  soon  and  sat  down  beside 


202 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


him.  “ What  is  it,  my  friend  ?”  lie  asked  kindly, 
administering  some  strengthening  draught. 

“I  am  dying,”  said  Yetaro,  “but  I wish  to 
know  of  your  teaching.  I have  worshipped  the 
Japanese  gods  in  vain.  I have  wasted  the  years 
of  my  life  in  going  from  shrine  to  shrine.” 

Dogu  ejaculated  Kei,  who  stood  near. 
The  man’s  story  was  like  her  own. 

“I  have  stood  on  Fuji’s  top,”  continued  Ye- 
taro, “I  have  prayed  to  Isuye,”  a holy  shrine.  “ I 
have  fasted  and  chastised  myself,  have  made  and 
kept  most  solemn  vows.  Dogu^  I have  had  no 
rest.  I want  forgiveness  for  my  sins.  Dogu^  I 
have  been  very  wicked!” 

Then  came  a violent  fit  of  coughing,  followed 
bv  a terrible  exhaustion.  Again  the  doctor  ad- 
ministered  a stimulant.  The  tears  rolled  down 
old  Kei’s  cheeks.  Saijiro  and  Yenoske  were  with 
the  servants,  taking  their  evening  meal. 

“I  was  taught  the  principles  of  Confucius,” 
continued  Yetaro  at  last,  “respect  and  obedience 
to  parents  and  all  maxims  of  truth  and  right. 
But  I was  unkind  and  rough  to  my  parents;  I 
cared  nothing  for  them,  but  only  for  sake  and 
gambling  and  all  sorts  of  wicked  things.  One 
night,  when  drunk,  I quarrelled  with  one  of  my 
companions,  and  in  my  anger  I killed  him.  When 
I knew  what  I had  done  I fled  from  the  place,  and 
no  one  pursued  me.  Dogu  ! the  people  care  little 
about  a man  who  may  be  found  dead  by  the  way- 


FROM  YAMAMID7.U  TO  TOKIO.  203 

side;  and  that  one  was  a stranger  and  had  no  near 
relatives. 

“ But  the  dreadful  deed  sobered  me.  I be- 
came a student,  and  was  industrious  and  temper- 
ate. Especially  did  I study  the  doctrine  of  the 
gods  to  find  some  way  to  wash  away  my  sin.  But 
my  guilt  has  ever  been  present  with  me.  I had 
no  rest.  Often  I longed  to  go  back  and  confess 
my  sin  to  the  officers  of  my  own  country.  But  I 
did  not.  At  last  I married,  and  when  my  boy 
was  a mere  infant  I went  to  live  in  Yamamidzu. 
I was  often  impatient  and  irritable  with  my  wife. 
Our  food  was  scanty  and  poor,  and  at  last  she 
died,  worn  out  with  suffering  and  sorrow.  I have 
done  all  I can  to  get  peace  and  pardon  for  my  sins 
in  the  Japanese  way,  and  now  I have  come  to  ask 
of  the  Jesus-doctrine,  and  if  I may  be  forgiven. 
And  I want  my  boy  to  be  brought  up  in  the  way 
of  truth  and  right. 

“Once  when  he  was  on  the  Tokaido  travel- 
ling down  to  Nagoya,  a foreigner  met  him  and 
gave  him  a book.  It  had  this  picture  in  it.” 
Yetaro  took  from  his  breast  the  little  book  and 
showed  the  picture  of  the  crucifixion.  “Ever 
since  I have  wanted  to  know  about  the  man  on 
the  cross.  A man  in  the  mountain  told  me  some- 
thing about  it  a few  days  ago.  I am  dying;  but 
oh,  tell  me  about  the  man  on  the  cross!  Can  he 
forgive  me?  Can  he  forgive  me ?”  Gasping  for 
breath,  Yetaro  fell  back  on  his  pallet. 


204 


KHvSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


The  missionary,  Mr.  West,  had  come  in,  and 
had  listened  with  deep  interest  to  the  sick  man’s 
story.  Kei  stood  wiping  lier  eyes  in  one  corner 
of  the  room.  Saijiro  crept  close  to  his  father 
and  took  his  hand.  Yenoske  stood  with  the  ser- 
vants at  the  door.  Some  one  brought  a candle, 
and  its  flickering  light  shone  upon  Yetaro’s  head 
as  he  lay  on  his  pallet.  The  doctor  administered 
a stimulant  and  beckoned  to  the  missionary  to 
draw  near.  His  eye  fell  upon  the  little  book, 
which  he  recognized  as  one  he  himself  had  given 
to  Saijiro  when  he  first  came  to  Japan  and  was 
travelling  to  Nagova. 

“My  friend,’’  said  he,  “I  will  read  of  the 
Man  who  hung  upon  the  cross,  and  of  one  who 
was  crucified  with  him,  and  will  teach  you  the 
prayer  of  this  one,  who  was  a thief  and  perhaps  a 
murderer.” 

Yetaro  held  the  little  book  in  his  hand  while 
the  missionary  read  the  evangelist  Luke’s  account 
of  the  thief  upon  the  cross.  The  sick  man  re- 
peated after  the  missionary  the  prayer  of  the  peni- 
tent one,  who,  acknowledging  the  justice  of  his 
punishment,  said  with  faith,  “ Lord,  remember 
me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom.”  And 
eagerly  did  Yetaro  listen  to  the  Saviour’s  gracious 
answer,  “To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  para- 
dise.” 

“He  came  from  heaven,  the  beloved  Son  of 
God,  and  died  to  save  sinners;  he  died  that  we 


FROM  YAMAMIDZU  TO  TOKIO.  205 

might  live;  he  bore  our  punishment  in  our  stead, 
because  he  loved  us.  Do  you  believe  this,  Ye- 
taro  ?’  ’ 

The  sick  man  bowed  his  head. 

“ Do  you  believe  that  he  died  for  jyou^  Yetaro 

Again  he  nodded  assent. 

“ Det  us  pray,”  said  the  missionary. 

The  servants  bowed  their  heads.  Yenoske 
fell  prostrate  to  the  floor.  Saijiro  clung  fast  to 
his  father’s  hand.  Kei  drew  nearer  to  hear  the 
words  of  the  prayer. 

“Oh,  thou  blessed  Saviour,  thou  who  didst 
hang  upon  the  cross  that  our  sins  might  be  for- 
given, have  mercy  upon  this  poor  soul  who  has 
been  so  long  seeking  thee.  Reach  down  and 
take  this  poor  wandering  one  unto  thyself.  Grant 
him  all  he  wants — forgiveness  of  his  sins,  the 
peace  that  thou  alone  canst  give,  life  and  blessed- 
ness with  thee  for  ever.” 

A restful  look  came  into  Yetaro’ s eyes.  “I 
have  found  him  at  last,”  he  said,  “ the  Man  who 
hung  on  the  cross.  I only  ask  now  that  you  teach 
my  boy.  He  will  repay  you  as  well  as  he  can.” 

The  promise  was  readily  given. 

Yetaro  sank  rapidly  and  soon  passed  away, 
and  Saijiro  was  left  an  orphan  in  a great  city. 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


2o5 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  CHAPEE  SERVICE. 

It  was  Sunday  morning,  the  beginning  of  a 
warm  summer  day.  Aka  had  risen  early  from 
her  pallet.  Her  heart  was  too  sorrowful  to  let 
her  rest  long.  The  woman  who  had  come  to 
live  in  the  house  after  Rinjiro’s  death  had  been 
more  than  usually  unkind  the  day  before.  She 
often  left  her  heavy  baby  to  the  weak  and  weary 
Aka’s  care.  Aka  loved  the  little  one.  She 
would  carry  him  away  into  her  room,  and  laying 
his  cheek  to  hers  would  listen  to  his  baby  prattle. 
But  her  health  was  so  delicate  it  seemed  some- 
times as  if  she  could  not  bear  the  care  of  him. 
Her  trembling  frame  tottered  under  his  weight. 

Now  Aka  slipped  quietly  out  of  the  house  and 
stood  for  a moment  in  the  street.  The  sun  had 
just  risen.  Old  Fuji  was  hidden  behind  clouds 
and  mist.  The  storm  which  had  broken  so  re- 
lentlessly over  the  teacher  was  still  raging  on  its 
summit,  although  all  was  so  calm  in  the  fields 
below. 

Aka  looked  towards  Fujisawa’s  house  and  her 
heart  went  out  towards  little  Kesa,  just  then 
.soundly  asleep  by  Chiye’s  side.  “My  Rinjiro’s 


THE  CHAPEE  SERVICE.  207 

little  bride,”  slie  thought.  “ How  handsome  and 
happy  they  would  have  been  together!” 

Then  she  turned  and  went  to  the  temple.  The 
court  was  quite  deserted;  but  within  priests  were 
chanting  a solemn  dirge  and  the  deep  tones  of  a 
bell  could  be  heard.  Aka  said  her  prayer  at  the 
steps  and  threw  her  money  into  the  box,  then  she 
walked  into  the  cemetery  and  straight  towards  a 
well-known  grave.  Birds  were  twittering  in  the 
boughs  above  her;  doves  hopped  around  her  feet. 
Her  tears  fell  on  the  stone  which  bore  Rinjiro’s 
new  name,  as  she  stood  and  thought  of  him. 
With  a wooden  dipper  that  lay  near  the  grave 
she  dipped  out  the  water  from  the  hollow  in  the 
stone;  then  she  filled  the  hollow  with  beautiful 
flowers  and  poured  fresh  water  over  them. 

Look,  Aka!  the  sun  rises  over  the  hilltop  and 
gilds  the  temple  roof.  For  you  a new  morning 
is  dawning.  This  very  day  you  shall  catch  the 
first  glimmer  in  your  darkened  soul  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness. 

She  stole  into  the  house  ou  her  return  as 
quietly  as  she  had  crept  out  and  went  to  her  own 
room.  Here  everything  was  neat  and  pretty.  In 
one  corner  a little  table  held  some  books  which 
she  had  been  reading.  The  books  were  a novel, 
one  of  the  long  Japanese  novels  in  many  volumes, 
each  volume  consisting  of  two  books.  Nothing 
of  this  insipid  sort  could  comfort  Aka’s  aching 
heart,  but  still  she  must  do  somethiiior:  time  hunj? 


2o8 


KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


heavily  on  her  hands.  So  on  this  Sabbath  morn- 
ing she  took  up  the  seventeenth  volume  of  her 
novel  and  tried  to  become  interested  in  it. 

In  the  meantime  the  household  of  the  Fuji- 
sawas  had  begun  the  day.  Very  early  the  ser- 
vants were  all  astir.  They  drew  water,  kindled 
charcoal,  swept  mats  and  verandas,  and  opened 
slides.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  sleep  while  all 
this  is  going  on  or  after  it  is  done.  So  at  a little 
past  seven  a pleasant  bustle  began.  Chiye  and 
Kesa  slipped  on  their  blue  cotton  dresses,  washed 
ther.  IMitsu  came  into  the  family  room,  and  soon 
faces  and  hands,  and  went  to  salute  father  and  mo- 
after  Hana  appeared  there.  Hana  had  improved 
somewhat  under  the  foreign  doctor’s  treatment; 
she  suffered  less  pain. 

The  servants  brought  in  breakfast.  Each 
member  of  the  family  had  a little  lacquered  table 
on  which  were  tiny  cups  and  dishes.  The  meal 
consisted  of  rice  and  tea,  with  some  salt  fish  and 
pickles.  They  chatted  together  pleasantly  as 
they  ate. 

“Soon  you  will  go  to  the  foreign  school,” 
said  the  father,  addressing  Chiye  and  Kesa. 

Chiye's  eyes  sparkled.  Kesa  bowed. 

“We  have  a request,  honorable  father,”  said 
Mitsu.  “We  wish  to  go  to  the  Christian  temple 
this  afternoon.  This  is  the  rest-day  of  the  honor- 
able foreigners.  If  you  please,  we  beg.”  ^ 

said  Fujisawa,  “I  do  not  know. 


THE  CHAPEL  SERVICE. 


2C9 


You  will  not  find  it  interesting,  and  the  day  will 
be  very  hot.  What  is  it,  Hana?”  he  asked,  no- 
ticing that  the  child  had  turned  pale  and  clung 
to  Mitsu. 

“Oh,”  said  Hana,  “I  like  the  good  doctor 
and  his  sweet  little  daughter;  but,  dogu!  they  do 
not  love  our  Shaka  Sama.  They  teach  the  peo- 
ple to  worship  their  god  in  Shaka  Sama’s  place. 
And  they  never  pray  to  Bindzuru.” 

“I  never  heard  them  say  anything  against 
Shaka  Sama,”  cried  Chiye.  “And  I don’t  think 
that  Bindzuru  has  helped  you  much,  Hana.  Be- 
sides, I think  he  is  very  ugly,  with  his  eyes  and 
nose  all  rubbed  off  and  his  feet  nearly  gone.  Yes- 
terday mamma’s  beautiful  Benten  Sama  fell  down 
and  her  head  rolled  off.” 

‘ ‘ DoguP  ’ ejaculated  Mrs.  Fujisawa,  who  avoid- 
ed discussions  with  Chiye. 

“Well,”  said  Fujisawa,  “do  as  you  please.” 
He  went  up  stairs  to  smoke  and  a brother  offi- 
cer dropped  in  to  talk  with  him,  for  Sunday  was 
now  a day  of  rest  in  Japan,  and  there  were  no 
official  duties  to  perform. 

In  the  little  house  at  Nippon  Boshi  sat  old  Kei 
reading  her  wonderful  book.  “ Strange  ! Won- 
derful!”  she  murmured,  perusing  for  the  twenti- 
eth time  the  story  of  the  cross.  The  slides  were 
pushed  back  so  that  she  could  see  what  was  going 
on  in  The  street.  Crowds  of  people  were  going 
towards  the  bridge,  and  other  crowds  were  going 

Kcfi;i  all  J Saijiro.  I ^ 


210 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


from  it.  Hours  passed.  Still  Kei  sat  reading, 
more  and  more  absorbed.  She  thought  too  of  the 
man  who  had  come  from  the  mountain.  He  was 
to  be  carried  that  very  day  to  the  grave.  She 
thought  of  the  orphan  Saijiro. 

Aka,  still  reading  her  novel,  heard  a childish 
voice  at  the  door.  She  called,  “ Come  in.”  The 
slides  were  pushed  aside  and  there  was  Kesa’s 
bright  face. 

“Welcome,  Kechan,”  said  Aka. 

“ Mitsu’s  compliments,”  said  Kesa,  “and  she 
would  like  to  have  you  go  with  her  to  the  Chris- 
tian temple  this  afternoon.” 

“Give  Mitsu  my  thanks  and  tell  her  I will 
go;  and,”  Aka  added,  “I  will  ask  Baba  to  go 
too.  ’ ’ 

Baba,  Aka,  Mitsu,  Chiye,  and  Kesa  all  en- 
joyed the  jinrikisha  ride  over  to  the  Concession. 
Old  Baba,  who  rode  with  Chiye  and  Kesa,  asked 
many  a question  about  the  foreigners  and  the 
school  as  they  were  rolled  rapidly  through  the 
streets  of  Tokio.  Aka  and  Mitsu  had  common 
sorrows  to  draw  them  together  and  talked  in  a 
low  tone. 

All  of  the  missionary  teachers.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Fielding,  with  their  little  daughter,  and  Mr.  West 
and  Miss  Wilton,  were  at  the  mission-house  to 
meet  any  who  might  come  and  show  them  the 
way  to  the  chapel.  They  knew  the  B^ujisawa 
party  and  greeted  them  warmly. 


THE  CHAPEL  SERVICE. 


2II 


Baba  had  never  been  in  a foreign  house  before. 
“Magnificent!  Exceedingly  fine!”  said  the  old 
lady  when  she  saw  the  high  ceilings,  the  carpets 
and  furniture. 

On  the  mantel-piece  was  a picture,  and  near  it 
were  some  flowers  in  vases.  Baba  thought  the 
picture  some  god  of  the  Christians,  and  before 
Mrs.  Fielding  could  prevent  it  the  old  lady  was 
prostrate  before  it,  muttering  Buddhist  prayers. 

“Oh,  don’t  do  that !”  cried  the  doctor’s  wife 
in  dismay.  “That  is  a picture  of  my  sister  in 
America.  Besides,  we  do  not  pray  before'  pic- 
tures.” 

The  old  lady  rose  with  an  apology,  and  Mrs. 
Bhelding  showed  her  the  photograph  and  told  her 
of  her  dear  young  sister  in  America. 

Kesa  had  brought  a beautiful  lotus-flower  for 
Marion,  and  it  was  duly  admired  before  being 
placed  ill  a large  vase.  Others  gathered  from 
time  to  time,  and  quite  a large  party  went  from 
the  mission-house  to  the  chapel.  Kei  was  among 
the  number. 

“I  rejoice  much  at  seeing  you,”  said  Kei 
when  she  spied  Aka,  Baba,  and  Mitsu.  “The 
teaching  is  very  good.” 

The  missionary  looked  down  from  his  pulpit 
that  day  upon  two  hundred  upturned  faces. 
There  were  people  of  all  ages  and  all  classes. 
There  were  old  babas  and  jisans  (grandmothers 
and  grandfathers),  babies  in  arms,  and  little  tod- 


212 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


dlers  whose  bells  tinkled  as  they  moved  in  their 
seats.  There  were  mothers  and  fathers,  sons  and 
daughters,  all  come  to  listen  to  the  new  teaching. 
Officers,  artisans,  merchants,  and  coolies  mingled 
together;  and  apart,  at  one  end  of  the  room,  was 
a group  of  Buddhist  priests.  It  was  an  interest- 
ing scene.  So  thought  the  young  missionary  as 
he  began  his  simple  sermon. 

“Dear  friends,  I have  just  returned  from  a. 
visit  to  the  Hakone  IMountains.  I thought  them 
very  beautiful,  but  it  seemed  strange  to  me  to  find 
no  sheep  there,  no  shepherd  leading  his  flock  to 
the  clear  streams  or  watching  them  feed  upon  the 
sunny  slopes.  It  was  not  like  this  in  the  country 
where  Jesus  lived.  There  many  a strong  man 
found  occupation  in  tending  sheep.  Shepherds 
there  watched  over  many  flocks  by  night  and  by 
day.  They  found  pasture  for  them  and  water  in 
the  wilderness.  They  helped  the  weak  ones  and 
carried  the  lambs  in  their  arms.  They  defended 
them  against  lions  and  bears  and  wolves.  They 
would  give  up  their  own  lives  for  the  sheep. 
Nay,  they  even  called  each  sheep  by  its  name, 
and  each  sheep  knew  its  own  shepherd  and  fol- 
lowed him.  Now  I will  read  you  what  the  Lord 
Jesus  calls  himself  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  the 
Gospel  of  John.” 

Mr.  West  then  read  slowly  and  distinctly  the 
verses  he  had  referred  to. 

“ Dear  friends,  the  Lord  Jesus  is  the  Shepherd 


THE  CHAPEL  SERVICE. 


213 


and  his  people  are  the  sheep.  There  are  many 
weak  ones  among  them  whom  he  leads  and  helps. 
Little  children  are  the  lambs  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Beloved,  I hear  so  many  voices  calling  you. 
There  are  so  many  false  teachers,  so  many  who 
pretend  to  be  shepherds,  but  are  not.  They  call 
you  to  go  this  way  and  that,  until  you  are  bewil- 
dered and  do  not  know  where  to  turn.  There  is 
but  one  Shepherd,  but  one  way.  Beloved,  I pray 
you  to  listen  to  that  voice  and  walk  in  that  way.” 

Then  followed  the  reading  and  explaining  of 
another  passage  of  Scripture,  to  which  the  audi- 
ence listened  attentively.  There  was  compara- 
tively little  disorder.  Once  a man  coming  in 
went  up  and  shook  hands  with  the  preacher;  oth- 
ers who  came  late  saluted  their  friends.  A man 
occasionally  went  round  with  a stick  and  poked 
up  any  who  had  fallen  asleep.  The  meeting 
closed  with  an  old,  familiar  hymn.  The  people 
stood  and  sang  in  their  own  language  “There  is 
a happy  land,”  and  then  quietly  dispersed. 

“Kechan,”  said  Aka  as  they  walked  away, 
“ I should  like  to  ask  the  teacher  some  time  more 
about  the  Good  Shepherd.  I wish  Rinjiro  had 
known  Him.” 

The  sun  had  gone  down  and  the  yellow  moon 
had  come  up  from  the  sea.  Old  Kei  sat  in  her 
upper  room.  Before  her  was  a row  of  idols,  and 
Kei  \yas  gazing  earnestly  at  them.  There  was 
Daikoku  with  his  round,  jolly  face,  Yebisu  with 


214 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


his  fish,  an  image  of  Bindzuni,  some  household 
gods,  a beautiful  gilt  figure  of  Benten,  and  some 
pictures.  Kei  looked  at  them  long.  Tears  gath- 
ered in  her  eyes  and  rolled  down  her  cheeks.  She 
had  trusted  to  these  gods  so  long  and  had  spent  so 
much  time  in  trying  to  please  them. 

Presently  she  took  a square  of  cloth  and  tied 
all  the  idols  up  in  it.  A moment  later  she  was 
in  the  street  going  towards  the  river.  It  was  a 
glorious  night.  The  canals  were  golden  in  the 
moonlight,  the  river  ran  in  bright  ripples  down  to 
the  sea.  Kei  went  quietly  along  the  darkest,  nar- 
rowest streets,  and  at  last  reached  the  river.  In 
a lonely  spot,  where  she  was  hidden  by  some 
buildings,  she  dropped  her  bundle  down,  down 
into  the  deep,  mysterious  water.  There  was  a 
heavy  splash.  She  shuddered  a little,  but  soon 
turned,  and  with  a firm  step  and  a lighter  heart 
went  home. 


A COUNTRY  BOY  IN  TOKIO. 


215 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A COUNTRY  BOY  IN  TOKIO. 

To  Saijiro  and  liis  faithful  friend  Yenoske  a 
room  in  the  servants’  quarters  had  been  assigned 
when  Yetaro  died.  “Take  time  and  rest,  my 
boy,”  the  missionary  had  kindly  said.  For  Sai- 
jiro had  gone  to  the  doctor  after  the  funeral,  had 
stood  before  him  respectfully,  and  said, 

“ Honorable  doctor,  we  have  no  money.  We 
have  to  work.  My  father  wished  me  to  learn 
your  doctrine  and  to  go  to  your  school,  and  Ye- 
noske and  I will  work  for  my  education.” 

There  was  something  noble  in  the  appearance 
of  the  boy.  He  was  tall  and  manly,  and  seemed 
to  bring  a breath  of  his  native  mountain  air  with 
him,  so  fresh  was  his  complexion,  so  bright 
his  eye,  and  so  straightforward  his  look. 

“All  in  good  time,  my  boy,”  answered  the 
doctor.  “ Take  time  and  rest.” 

Is  it  not  pleasant  to  note  the  workings  of 
God’s  providence,  the  little-  links  in  the  great 
chain  which  binds  us  to  his  throne?  A few 
months  before,  in  far-off  Pennsylvania,  a mother 
and  her  boy  sat  talking  together  of  that  boy’s  fu- 
ture. 

“I  will  be  a missionary,  mamma,”  said  the 


2i6 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


eager  boy,  “a  missionary  in  Japan.  But  it  will 
be  so  long  before  I can  go.  I can  hardly  wait, 
mamma,  I can  hardly  wait.” 

And  now  there  had  come  to  the  doctor’s  wife 
a letter  from  that  same  mother.  It  read  thus: 

“Dear  friend:  I may  never  look  into  your 
eyes  nor  feel  the  pressure  of  your  hand  nor  listen 
to  the  tones  of  your  voice,  but  my  very  soul 
goes  out  to  you  when  I read  of  your  good  w’ork  in 
Japan.  My  husband  is  a clergyman  in  this  place, 
and  our  church  is  deeply  interested  in  missions. 
We  have  been  blessed  with  seven  children.  A 
few  weeks  ago  our  eldest  boy,  a bright,  happy  lad 
of  thirteen,  was  taken  from  us  after  an  illness  of  a 
few  hours.  We  have  six  children  left,  six  sweet, 
loving  little  ones.  But  there  is  a vacant  place  in 
my  heart.  My  boy  had  chosen  to  be  a missionary 
in  Japan.  It  was  his  constant  thought.  Dear 
friend,  we  want  to  take  into  our  hearts  a Japanese 
boy.  We  want  to  love  and  educate  him  for  our 
Harry’s  sake.” 

All  of  the  thirteen  years  during  which  Saijiro 
had  been  growing  up  on  the  mountain  Harry 
Rindberg  had  lived  his  happy  life  in  the  little 
town  in  Pennsylvania.  And  now  that  he  had 
been  taken  away,  the  mother’s  heart  yearned  for 
some  better  monument  to  the  boy’s  memory  than 
any  marble  could  afford. 

“Surely  the  Lord's  hand  is  in  this,”  said  Dr. 
Fielding  as  he  read  the  letter.  “ Saijiro  shall  be 


A COUNTRY  BOY  IN  TOKIO.  21 7 

]\Irs.  Riiidbero^’s  boy.  May  he  comfort  her  for 
her  lost  Harry!” 

“The  God  of  the  Christians  has  sent  you  a 
mother,  my  boy,”  he  said  to  Saijiro. 

The  boy  lifted  his  eyes  in  surprise  and  Ye- 
noske  bowed  low.  Then  the  doctor  told  of  Harr}', 
and  of  the  mother’s  wish  for  a Japanese  boy  to  be 
to  her  as  a son  in  her  lost  one’s  place.  Saijiro 
could  scarcely  comprehend,  but  from  that  time  his 
heart  went  out  to  his  “ mother  in  America.”  Ye- 
noske  was  taken  as  a servant  in  the  doctor’s  fam- 
ily. The  coolie  who  had  been  the  under-servant 
had  left,  and  Yenoske  gladly  took  his  place. 

“ But,”  said  the  doctor  as  he  unfolded  his 
plans  concerning  them,  “take  a day  or  two  and 
see  this  wonderful  city  before  you  begin  to  work.” 

So  early  the  next  morning  Saijiro  and  Yenoske 
started  off  to  explore  Tokio.  What  New  York  is 
to  one  of  our  rustics,  Tokio  is  to  a country  boy  in 
Japan,  and  Saijiro  greatly  enjoyed  the  sight-see- 
ing. The  canals  looked  silvery  in  the  pale  light 
just  before  the  sunrise,  and  the  air  was  still  and 
warm.  The  sea-breeze  had  not  yet  sprung  up 
over  the  city.  Fuji’s  outlines  were  dimly  visible, 
and  more  than  once  Yenoske  turned  his  eyes  in 
the  direction  of  the  Hakone  Hills.  Yenoske  loved 
his  mountain  home  and  often  longed  for  its  wild, 
free  life.  But  his  devotion  to  Saijiro  remained 
unchanged,  and  he  never  once  thought  of  going 
back. 


2i8 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


They  made  their  way  down  towards  the  Tori, 
choosing  to  go  to  the  railroad  station  and  see  the 
train  go  out.  They  were  astonished  at  the  long 
row  of  foreign-built  houses  with  their  pretty  col- 
onnades. 

“What  a fine  jinrikisha  you  have,”  said  Sai- 
jiro,  addressing  a coolie  who  sat  upon  the  ground 
beside  his  cart. 

said  the  man,  “it  is  a fine  karuma^'''* 
cart,  “but  it  is  very  heavy.” 

“Is  it  hard  work  to  pull  it?”  inquired  Ye- 
noske. 

The  man  answered,  “Yes;  and  sometimes  for 
two  or  three  days  I have  no  customers.  I like  to 
draw  the  honorable  foreigners;  they  pay  three 
times  as  much  as  the  Japanese  do.” 

“ But  do  they  beat  you?”  asked  Yenoske. 

Dogu^  they  never  beat  me.  I like  the 
Jesus- teachers;  they  are  alwavs  kind  and  reason- 
able.” 

Just  then  the  man  spied  a foreigner  crossing 
the  street,  and  started  towards  him.  Saijiro  and 
Yenoske  saw  the  stranger  stop  the  jinrikisha. 
They  wanted  to  hear  what  was  said. 

“ How  much  to  go  to  the  station?” 

“ Two  boosy  A boo  is  twelve  and  a half  cents. 

“That  is  too  much.  One  said  the  for- 

eigner, holding  up  a finger. 

After  considerable  parleying  the  two  compro- 
mised for  one  boo  and  a half.  Even  that  was  too 


A COUNTRY  BOY  IN  TOKIO.  219 

much.  But  the  gentleman  got  into  the  cart  and 
was  borne  off  towards  the  station. 

By  this  time  the  sun  had  risen.  The  streets 
were  filling  with  people.  Some  clouds  had  gath- 
ered overhead.  These  who  met  and  saluted  said 
it  was  going  to  rain.  The  two  mountain  boys 
passed  through  a great  fish-market  which  interest- 
ed them  exceedingly.  Fish,  except  mountain 
trout,  was  rare  enough  in  their  home  in  the  heart 
of  the  Hakones.  Some  sailors  passed  them  carry- 
ing an  immense  shark. 

“What  is  that  big  fish  ?“  Saijiro  asked. 

Even  Yenoske  had  never  seen  a shark  before, 
and  so  could  not  answer. 

They  followed  the  three  men,  and  when  these 
had  deposited  the  shark  upon  a board  and  were 
preparing  to  cut  it,  Saijiro  put  his  question  again. 

The  men  answered  it,  adding,  “ Where  did 
you  come  from,  little  master?” 

“From  the  Hakone  Mountains.” 

“Where  did  you  get  the  shark  ?”  now  inquired 
Yenoske. 

replied  one  of  the  sailors,  “we  have 
been  out  all  night  on  the  bay.  It  was  rough,  and 
we  caught  nothing  until  we  speared  this  big  fel- 
low.” • 

The  boys  continued  their  walk  around  the 
market.  There  were  oysters,  clams,  and  crabs. 
There  were  fine  salmon  from  Hakodate  and  tiny 
sardines  from  the  more  southern  coasts.  Saijiro 


220 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


admired  the  iai — a species  of  carp — and  bora^  with 
their  beautiful,  delicate  scales,  and  looked  with 
interest  at  the  seaweed,  mosses,  and  curious  cut- 
tle-fish. 

Having  passed  through  the  market,  the  boys 
found  themselves  presently  on  a bridge  which 
crossed  a large  canal.  A number  of  boats  were  be- 
ing propelled  slowly  up  the  canal  towards  the  cas- 
tle. There  was  a long  line  of  house-boats  fastened 
by  staples  and  ropes  to  the  shore.  A great  many 
people  were  crossing  the  bridge,  some  in  jinriki- 
shas  and  some  on  foot.  All  of  these  had  to  make 
way  for  a Japanese  soldier,  who  urged  his  horse 
carelessly  and  rapidly  through  the  crowd. 

said  a lady  whose  jinrikisha  the. 
horse  had  grazed  in  passing,  “these  foreigners 
make  us  a great  deal  of  trouble,  teaching  our  peo- 
ple to  ride  like  that.” 

Just  after  the  boys  had  crossed  the  bridge  it 
began  to  rain.  Those  few  clouds  had  gradually 
covered  the  sky.  A heavy  shower  fell  on  Tokio. 
The  jhtrikiyas  pulled  oil-paper  covers  over  their 
carts.  Women  drew  their  skirts  up  over  their 
heads  and  ran  laughing  along.  Those  who  had 
babies  stopped  under  the  projecting  eaves  of  the 
houses. 

“ It  will  be  over  soon,”  said  Yenoske  as  Sai- 
jiro  shook  the  drops  from  his  hair. 

Sure  enough,  by  the  time  they  entered  Shiba 
the  sun  was  shining  brightly  again,  and  all  the 


A COUNTRY  BOY  IN  TOKIO. 


221 


wet  tree-tops  were  resplendent  in  its  beams.  The 
boys  went  up  to  the  great  gateway,  and  after  ad- 
miring it  entered  the  indosure.  Of  all  the  tem- 
ples of  Tokio,  this  is  the  most  beautiful.  Saijiro 
and  Yenoske  walked  up  the  broad  flagging  to  the 
temple  steps,  but  not  to  worship.  Some  thoughts 
were  in  their  minds  which  made  them  hesitate. 
“What  is  this  place  ?”  Yenoske  asked  of  a priest, 
who  in  yellow  robes  and  with  shaven  head  was 
hurrying  by  them,  an  incense-box  in  his  hand. 

‘ ^Dogit  r ’ answered  he,  surprised,  ‘ ‘ do  you  not 
know?  This  is  Shiba,  where  the  Shoguns  are 
buried.” 

The  boys  stood  in  a broad  avenue.  Grand 
forest  trees  bent  over  them,  through  whose  inter- 
laced branches  poured  the  rich  sunlight.  Under 
these  trees  grew  violets,  ferns,  and  mosses.  Not  a 
sign  was  at  hand  of  the  large  city  they  had  just 
left.  They  might,  indeed,  have  been  deep  in  the 
solitudes  of  their  own  mountains.  The  little  tem- 
ples dedicated  to  the  Shoguns  were  of  the  most 
exquisite  workmanship,  the  gates  of  many  of 
them  being  of  solid  bronze.  Beautiful  Shiba ! 
Never  before  had  Saijiro  seen  anything  like  it. 
Taking  off  his  shoes,  he  went  into  a temple. 
Over  the  altar  were  dainty  lilies  and  pomegran- 
ates, made  of  gold  and  suspended  by  golden 
chains.  The  ceiling  was  of  inlaid  work,  and  the 
floor  of  wonderfully  polished  wood. 

From  Shiba  the  boys  made  their  way  to  the 


222 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


railway  station,  where  Saijiro  was  soon  intensely 
interested  in  the  cars.  There  were  foreign  ladies 
and  gentlemen  waiting  in  the  station  to  take  the 
next  train  for  Yokohama. 

“Why  doesn’t  the  young  master  ride  down  to 
Shinagawa?”  asked  an  official  who  was  standing 
near.  “It  is  only  a few  miles  and  costs  but  a 
few  sen^ 

So  Saijiro  and  Yenoske  followed  a crowd  of 
Japanese  into  a third-class  car.  They  were  all 
packed  closely  together;  but  it  was  an  open  car, 
and  they  had  plenty  of  fresh  air.  The  rapid  mo- 
tion almost  frightened  the  two  friends  at  first. 
They  had  scarcely  had  time  to  become  accustomed 
to  it  when  the  train  stopped,  and  they  had  to  get 
out. 

Every  precaution  is  taken  for  the  safety  of 
passengers,  and  of  people  crossing  the  tracks,  in 
Japan.  A sentinel  is  posted  at  every  crossing, 
and  wherever  it  is  possible  the  road  goes  either 
under  or  over  the  track.  The  boys  carefully  ex- 
amined the  “iron  road.”  They  went  upon  a 
bridge  which  crossed  it  and  stood  looking  at  the 
forts.  An  old  man  observed  them,  and  drawing 
near,  entered  into  conversation  with  them.  The 
forts  were  very  pretty,  appearing  like  little  green 
islands  in  the  blue  waters  of  the  bay. 

began  the  old  man,  following  the  di- 
rection of  Saijiro’s  gaze,  “those  forts  were  built 
when  the  honorable  foreigners  first  came  into  the 


A COUNTRY  BOY  IN  TOKIO.  223 

country  with  their  great  iron  ships.  ‘ ‘ Dogu ! 
how  frightened  we  all  were.  Honorable  grand- 
father died  with  fright.” 

Saijiro  looked  concerned.  The  “honorable 
foreigners”  certainly  did  a great  deal  of  mischief. 

“The  ships,”  continued  the  man,  “ were  an- 
chored right  off  there.  We  saw  them  very  early 
one  morning;  they  seemed  like  black  mountains 
in  the  mist.  Some  fishermen  hastened  ashore  to 
tell  us  what  they  were.  Then  we  kindled  fires, 
to  show  that  the  country  was  in  danger,  and  every 
one  was  terribly  distressed.  The  thunder  and 
lightning  from  the  cannon  made  us  terribly 
afraid.  Oh,  what  a calling  upon  the  gods  there 
was ! Honorable  grandmother  sat  all  day  count- 
ing her  beads.  We  set  off  to  the  ships  in  owx  sam- 
pans to  sell  vegetables  and  fruits.  But  the  for- 
eigners would  not  let  any  one  go  aboard.” 

“ But  they  did  n’t  really  hurt  any  of  the  Japan- 
ese, did  they?”  questioned  Saijiro. 

^^DognP''  said  the  man,  “no;  but  there  has 
been  a great  deal  of  trouble  since.” 

The  boys  now  made  their  way  slowly  back  to 
Tokio.  They  had  seen  quite  enough  for  one  day. 

That  afternoon  the  Fujisawas  had  some  com- 
pany. Dr.  and  l\Irs.  Fielding,  with  their  little 
daughter  IMarion,  came  to  make  them  a long- 
promised  visit.  The  coolies  who  had  drawn  the 
jinrikishas  from  the  Concession  to  Fujisawa’s 
door  were  just  about  to  call,  “ (9  ta7io  moshimasu^'''^ 


224 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


when  the  slides  were  pushed  open,  and  Kesa’s 
bright  face  appeared. 

“ You  are  very  welcome,”  said  she. 

The  guests  stopped  a moment  to  exchange 
their  heavy  shoes  for  slippers.  No  one  wishes  to 
tread  with  shoes  on  spotless  white  mats.  Kesa 
stood  quietly  by  until  the  visitors  were  ready,  and 
then  conducted  them  into  the  parlor,  where  the 
family  were  assembled.  Pleasant  were  the  greet- 
ings exchanged. 

Mrs.  Fujisawa  directed  her  servant  to  bring  in 
tea.  The  girl  handed  each  cup  on  a little  tray, 
gettingdown  on  her  knees  to  present  it.  Then  a 
beautiful  bowl  was  brought  and  placed  before 
Mrs.  Fujisawa.  This  was  filled  with  ice-cold  wa- 
ter. Near  it  was  set  a dish  of  pears  which  looked 
like  russet  apples.  These  the  lady  of  the  house 
peeled  daintily  and  cut  into  small  pieces,  letting 
them  fall  into  the  ice-water.  Then  with  chop- 
sticks she  presented  a piece  to  each  guest.  They 
found  them  refreshingly  juicy  and  cold. 

The  children  soon  went  into  the  garden  to  play 
among  the  flowers. 

‘‘  How  old  are  you?”  Kesa  asked  of  Marion. 

The  little  American  answered,  ” I am  ten.”- 

“And  so  am  I,”  cried  Kesa. 

The  fair  skin,  blue  eyes,  and  light,  curling 
hair  of  one  child  presented  a great  contrast  to  the 
olive  complexion,  dark  eyes,  and  straight,  black 
locks  of  the  other.  Yet  they  were  not  altogether 


A COUNTRY  BOY  IN  TOKIO. 


225 


unlike.  Blue  eyes  and  black  eyes  both  had  the 
same  look,  at  once  fearless  and  earnest;  and  both 
children  were  well  developed  physically.  Each 
in  her  own  way  presented  a picture  of  childish 
health  and  beauty. 

They  stood  for  a time  upon  the  knoll,  gazing 
at  the  distant  mountains. 

“ Old  Fuji  is  almost  hidden  to-day,”  said 
Marion.  “We  cannot  see  the  mountains  of  the 
Kadzusa  range  at  all.  But  what  a pretty  garden 
you  have,  Kesa,  and  how  nice  it  must  be  to  play 
here.” 

They  wandered  at  last  into  the  little  summer- 
house where,  eight  years  before,  Kesa  and  Rinjiro 
had  been  playing  when  Kei  came  and  told  her 
plaintive  story  of  Nantaro  and  her  weary  search 
for  him.  On  a shelf  in  one  corner  were  some 
broken  toys,  and  on  a little  table  Daruma  himself 
reposed  in  solemn  state. 

“I  played  with  them  when  I was  a baby,” 
said  Kesa,  pointing  out  the  toys,  “and  that  Daru- 
ma Sama  was  Rinjiro’ s.” 

“Where  is  Rinjiro  now?”  asked  Marion. 

''''  Dogu  ! he  is  dead  and  finished.  He  was  my 
husband,  or  he  would  have  been  if  he  had  lived.” 

But  such  grave  thoughts  do  not  long  occupy 
the  minds  of  children,  and  these  were  soon  play- 
ing again,  bright,  happy,  and  careless.  When 
tired,  they  went  indoors  to  look  at  some  pictures. 

“What  is  this?”  asked  INIarion. 

15 


Kesa  anH  Saljlro. 


226 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


The  picture  she  held  represented  a man 
dressed  like  a prince,  with  a princely  feast  spread 
before  him.  Beside  him  sat  a beautiful  woman  in 
a court  dress.  Behind  the  pair  were  two  fishes 
dressed  as  servants  and  with  heads  bowed  respect- 
fully. Before  them  was  a row  of  fishes,  waiting 
as  if  to  receive  orders;  while  two  otlier  fishes 
seemed  to  be  coming  up  from  the  depths  of  the 
sea,  one  bearing  a table,  and  the  other  a covered 
dish. 

• “Oh,  we  have  a whole  set  of  those  pictures,” 
said  Chiye.  “They  illustrate  the  story  of  Ura- 
shima.” 

“Tell  me  about  it,”  urged  Marion.  “I  love 
to  hear  stories  of  Old  Japan,  and  these  pictures  are 
very  pretty.” 

The  first  of  the  set  showed  a fisherman  in  a 
little  boat.  In  one  hand  he  held  a tortoise,  which 
he  was  just  putting  back  into  the  sea. 

“That  man,”  said  Chiye,  “is  Urashima. 
Tong,  long  years  ago  he  lived  in  a fishing-village 
on  the  coast.  One  day  he  went  out  in  his  boat  to 
fish.  He  let  down  his  net  and  caught  a tortoise. 
Now  the  tortoise  lives  a thousand  years,  and  Ura- 
shima, seeing  that  this  was  a young  one,  thought 
it  would  be  a pity  to  deprive  it  of  its  long,  happy 
life;  so  he  dropped  it  back  into  the  sea. 

“The  next  picture  shows  Urashima  asleep  in 
his  boat.  A beautiful  young  lady  has  risen  out 
of  the  waves  to  sit  with  him  in  the  boat  while  lie 


A COUNTRY  BOY  IN  TOKIO.  22  7 

is  still  sleeping.  On  awaking  lie  was  naturally 
astonished  at  the  unexpected  vision.  To  his  sur- 
prise the  young  lady  told  him  that  she  was  the 
tortoise  whose  life  he  had  spared.  As  a reward 
for  his  kindness  he  might  now  be  her  husband 
and  go  down  with  her  to  her  beautiful  palace 
under  the  sea.  Urashima  agreed.  So  they  went 
down,  down  to  the  promised  dwelling.  The 
leaves  of  the  trees  there  w^ere  of  emeralds,  the 
fruits  were  rubies,  and  the  dewdrops  were  pearls. 
They  lived  in  perfect  happiness  until  Urashima 
began  to  think  he  must  go  home  and  see  his  aged 
parents;  he  imagined  he  had  been  away  only  a 
few  weeks.  ‘You  may  go,’  said  the  beautiful 
princess,  ‘ but  you  must  take  this  box  with  you. 
Do  not  open  it,  for  if  you  do  you  will  never  find 
your  way  back  to  me.  ’ 

“ Urashima  took  the  box,  bade  farewell  to  his 
lovely  wife,  and  rose  slowly,  slowly  out  of  the 
sea.  At  last  he  found  himself  on  his  own  shore 
and  stood  looking  about  for  his  cottage.  But 
everything  had  gone.  An  old  man  came  iq)  and 
spoke  to  him.  ‘ What  are  you  looking  for,  young 
man?’  ‘Alas,’  answered  Urashima,  ‘can  you  tell 
me  where  Urashima’s  cottage  is?’  ‘Urashima’s 
cottage  ! Why,  Urashima  was  drowned  in  the  sea 
three  or  four  hundred  years  ago.  ’ 

“ Then  Urishama  was  sad  and  could  only  think 
of  hurrying  back  to  the  palace  where  the  lovely 
princess  waited  for  him.  But  he  did  not  know 


228 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


the  way  back.  He  thought  of  his  box.  ‘ I will 
open  it.  Perhaps  I shall  find  the  way  then.’  So, 
forgetting  the  command  of  the  princess,  he  opened 
the  box.  A great  white  cloud  arose  from  it.  Ura- 
shima  found  himself  shrivelling,  his  strength  go- 
ing. In  a few  minutes  he  was  dead.  So  he  never 
got  back  to  that  palace  under  the  sea,  though  the 
beautiful  princess  waited  long  for  him,  though 
the  emerald  leaves,  the  ruby  fruits,  and  the  pearly 
dewdrops  shone  and  gleamed  as  gladly  as  of  old.” 
“That  is  the  prettiest  Japanese  story  I have 
ever  heard,”  said  Marion.  “ It  is  a little  like  our 
Rip  Vanwinkle.” 

‘ ‘ Tell  us  that,  ’ ’ begged  Kesa. 

But  Marion’s  father  and  mother  had  finished 
their  visit  and  were  calling  to  her,  and  the  saio- 
naras  must  be  said. 

“How  nice  it  was,  mamma,”  said  she,  nest- 
ling close  to  her  mother’s  side  in  the  jinrikisha  as 
they  rode. 


SCHOOL  DAYS. 


229 


CHAPTER  XX. 

SCHOOL  DAYS. 

“Be  very  careful,  Kesa,  and  do  study  more, 
child.  The  teacher  at  the  school  says  you  are  so 
idle  and  careless.  ’ ’ 

Thus  spoke  Mrs.  Fujisawa  to  Kesa  as  she  and 
Chiye  stood  waiting  for  the  jinrikishas  which  were 
to  carry  them  to  the  foreign  school.  Chiye  was 
radiantly  happy,  and  Kesa  was  not  unwilling  to 
go  with  her  favorite  sister  to  the  school,  although 
she  was  not  fond  of  study  and  the  teacher’s  com- 
plaint was  but  too  well  founded. 

The  girls  were  dressed  with  care  and  taste,  as 
befitted  the  daughters  of  the  high  officer  Fujisawa. 
Their  dresses  were  of  a delicate,  soft  gray,  with 
which  their  red  sashes  contrasted  prettily;  and  the 
lovely  crapes  at  the  neck  and  in  the  hair  were  of 
the  most  charming  shades.  Each  had  a 
with  a warm  wadded  covering,  a wooden  pillow, 
and  a little  table,  besides  books  and  clothing.  A 
coolie  was  loading  a cart  with  their  things,  and 
the  jinrikishas  were  being  drawn  up  the  street. 

“There  come  the  carts,”  said  Chiye,  spying 
the  vehicles  as  they  came  around  the  corner. 

“ Saionara^  honorable  mother.  Again  on  the 


230 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


sixth  day,”  said  the  girls,  prostrating  themselves 
before  their  mother. 

Saionara^  my  daughters;  may  the  gods  pro- 
tect you,”  said  Mrs.  Fujisawa,  sighing  when  she 
remembered  that  both  children  had  positively  re- 
fused to  carry  idols  with  them  to  the  school. 

''^Saionara^  honorable  sisters,”  and  again  before 
Mitsu  and  Hana  Chiye  and  Kesa  were  prostrate. 

Saionara^  saionara^'''^  responded  the  sisters, 
who  would  be  lonely  enough  through  the  long 
days  of  the  week. 

Saionara^''''  said  the  servants,  who  were  stand- 
ing in  a line  to  witness  the  departure. 

Then  the  girls,  almost  hidden  by  the  immense 
bouquets  they  carried,  got  into  one  jinrikisha,  and 
Fujisawa,  carefully  holding  a lacquered  box,  took 
his  seat  in  the  other.  It  was  a lovely  September 
morning  and  the  girls  enjoyed  the  ride  down  to 
the  mission  compound. 

Children  had  come  in  jinrikishas  from  all 
parts  of  the  city,  and  all  carried  presents  for  their 
dear  teacher — flowers,  eggs,  and  beautiful  lacquer 
and  china  ware.  The  children  were  all  bright 
and  happy,  glad  to  get  back  to  school  after  the 
long  summer  vacation.  Miss  Wilton  received 
them  lovingly  and  listened  with  sympathy  to  their 
accounts  of  the  way  in  which  they  had  spent  the 
summer. 

” I have  been  to  see  my  aunt  in  Yokohama,” 
said  one. 


SCHOOL  DAYS. 


231 


‘‘I  have  visited  the  mountains,”  said  another. 

“And  I went  across  the  bay  to  the  Kad^usa 
Hills,”  said  a third. 

“Ah,  there  come  the  Fujisawas,”  cried  Fusa, 
Chiye’s  friend,  as  she  saw  the  three  jinrikishas. 

IMiss  Wilton  hastened  to  meet  them. 

Fujisawa  alighted  from  the  cart  and  bowed. 
“For  the  favor  of  many  days  ago  I thank  you,” 
he  said. 

“You  are  truly  welcome,”  answered  Miss 
Wilton. 

“For  my  daughters  I beg  your  honorable 
care.  They  are  very  stupid  girls  and  do  not  learn 
well.  If  you  please,  I beg  your  kind  considera- 
tion and  your  honorable  attentions.” 

“ Thanks,  Mr.  Fujisawa;  I will  gladly  accept 
the  charge,”  said  Miss  Wilton,  who  already  had 
noticed  Chiye’s  bright  intelligence  and  Kesa’s 
winning  manners. 

“Truly,  a small  present,  scarcely  worthy  of 
your  consideration,”  said  Fujisawa,  presenting  a 
pair  of  exquisite  bronze  vases. 

The  girls  bowed  gracefully  and  presented  their 
flowers.  The  house  was  already  one  mass  of  blosr 
soms.  Lilies,  chrysanthemums,  and  hydrangeas 
all  bore  testimony  to  the  love  of  the  pupils  for 
their  teacher. 

“ If  you  please,  I wish  my  daughters  to  learn 
English,”  said  Fujisawa,  when  Miss  Wilton  had 
thanked  them  for  the  beautiful  gifts.  “They 


232 


KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


will  come  hereafter,  as  you  wish,  on  Sunday 
mornings,  and  remain  until  Friday  evening.  I 
will  accompany  them  myself  or  send  a servant 
for  them.  ’ ’ 

“You  know  that  we  teach  them  the  Bible 
and  send  them  to  church,”  said  Miss  Wilton. 

“It  is  well,”  answered  Fujisawa.  It  made 
little  difference  to  him  what  they  were  taught 
concernino:  relig^ion. 

“You  have  a friend  here,”  said  Miss  Wilton 
to  Chi  ye,  when  Fujisawa  had  bowed  himself  away. 

Chiye  smiled.  “Yes,  my  dear  friend  Fusa. 
We  have  sworn  an  eternal  friendship;  we  are  al- 
ways going  to  the  same  school,  and  we  shall 
never,  never  be  separated.  ’ ^ 

The  teacher  was  amused.  Chiye’s  words  re- 
minded her  of  American  girls  and  their  eternal 
friendships.  But  she  called  Fusa  and  told  her  to 
show  the  girls  the  dormitory  and  their  apartments; 
so  they  all  went  off  together.  Fusa  led  the  way 
into  a spacious,  well-ventilated  room,  where  each 
girl  was  assigned  a small  compartment,  separated 
from  the  others  by  fixed  screens.  A servant 
brought  up  the  bedding  and  other  things,  and 
Fusa  helped  the  Fujisawas  arrange  everything 
nicely  and  then  took  them  down  to  the  school- 
room. This  was  furnished  with  foreign  desks 
and  chairs,  and  Chiye’ s eyes  fairly  shone  as  she 
noted  the  blackboards,  maps,  and  pictures  on  the 
walls. 


SCHOOL  DAYS. 


233 


“ I will  study  so  hard  that  I will  soon  be  able 
to  go  on  with  you  in  your  English  classes,”  she 
said  to  Fusa. 

“Have  you  read  any  English  at  all?”  asked 
Miss  Wilton  of  the  Fujisawas. 

“No,  honorable  sensei.  We  have  read  only 
Japanese  and  Chinese,”  they  answered.  But 
while  Chiye  was  put  into  the  lowest  English 
class,  she  was  far  ahead  of  all  the  other  girls  in 
Chinese,  and  had  to  study  alone. 

There  were  no  classes  that  day,  and  when  the 
girls  had  been  examined  they  were  sent  off. 
Chiye  went  up  to  her  room  with  her  precious 
book,  and  Kesa  wandered  out  into  the  garden. 

She  walked  about  in  a listless  way  at  first,  but 
soon  her  attention  w^as  arrested  by  the  sound  of 
children’s  voices,  and  she  peeped  through  the 
hedge  which  separated  the  doctor’s  yard  from  the 
school  compound. 

Marion  Fielding  was  working  in  her  garden, 
and  near  her  was  a boy  of  seven,  her  motherless 
cousin  Carroll.  He  wore  a white  suit  and  a 
broad-brimmed  straw  hat;  a shower  of  golden 
curls  fell  on  his  shoulders;  and  Kesa  thought  she 
had  never  seen  anything  so  charming  as  his 
whole  appearance.  She  could  not  understand 
what  the  children  were  saying,  but  thought  it 
must  be  something  connected  with  the  flowers. 

“Marion  san  T''  she  called  at  last.  San  is  a 
respectful  address,  like  Sir  or  Madame. 


234 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Marion  looked  up  to  see  Kesa’s  eyes  fixed 
upon  her,  and  greeted  her  warmly.  “Come  and 
See  my  garden,  Kesa,”  she  said,  turning  quickly 
from  English  to  Japanese. 

Kesa  was  soon  standing  by  Marion  and  Car- 
roll.  “Why  do  you  work  yourselves?”  she 
asked.  ‘ ‘ Old  Oto  takes  care  of  our  garden.  Does 
not  the  honorable  father  allow  you  servants?” 

“Oh,  yes,  but  we  love  to  work  with  the  flow- 
ers. They  are  the  dearest  flowers  on  earth  to  us 
—these  that  we  plant  and  take  care  cf  our- 
selves.” 

“How  do  you  like  the  school,  Kesa?”  asked 
Carroll.  “ Is  your  lesson  hard  ?” 

But  Kesa  made  no  answer.  She  had  a vague 
feeling  that  she  ought  to  be  with  Chiye,  studying 
her  lesson;  but  it  was  pleasanter  in  the  garden, 
and  she  stood  looking  in  a dreamy  way  at  the 
bright  water,  the  trees,  and  the  flowers,  and 
watching  Marion  and  Carroll  as  they  dug,  plant- 
ed, and  watered. 

Yet  all  the  while  her  little  heart  was  not  idle; 
deep  impressions  were  being  made;  and  when  the 
doctor’s  wife  came  out  of  the  house  and  stood  by 
her  little  daughter,  and  Marion  eagerly  explained 
to  her  what  she  had  been  doing,  Kesa  noted  the 
mother’s  full  interest  and  sympathy  and  turned 
away  with  an  indefinite  feeling  of  sorrow  and  un- 
rest. This  child  had  a warm,  loving  heart, 
and  the  rather  cold  and  indifferent  manner  of 


SCHOOL  DAYS.  235 

licr  mother — a genuine  Japanese — never  seemed 
to  satisfy  its  cravings. 

“Where  have  you  been,  Kesa?  And  have 
you  studied  your  lesson?”  asked  Chiye,  as  her 
sister  entered  the  dormitory. 

“ No,  sister.” 

“ What  have  you  been  doing?” 

“Nothing,  sister.” 

“ Kesa,  the  honorable  father  will  be  much  dis- 
pleased if  you  are  so  idle.  Sit  down,  and  I will 
show  you  about  the  lesson.  See,  I have  already 
learned  one  page.  ’ ’ 

One  page  ! Poor  little  Kesa  ! Would  she  ever 
know  what  was  on  that  page? 

But  Chiye  was  patient  and  helped  her,  until 
she  could  read  and  translate  with  tolerable  ease, 
“The  girl  has  a doll. ” 

“We  are  to  begin  school  to-morrow,  and  we 
must  learn  our  lessons,”  said  Chiye. 

“Did  you  bring  Daikoku  Sama  and  Benten 
Sama  with  von?”  asked  one  of  the  new  orirls  of 
Kesa  in  the  afternoon.  They  were  in  the  dormi- 
tory, sitting  on  a mat.  The  windows  were  open, 
and  they  could  see  some  boats  out  on  the  water. 

“No;  I don’t  like  them,  and  the  people  here 
don’t  have  images,”  said  Kesa. 

“ But  I have,”  said  the  girl;  and  taking  Kesa 
to  her  compartment  and  drawing  aside  a curtain, 
she  showed  her  little  shrine  on  which  sat  the  gods 
of  luck. 


236 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“Oh,  Chiye,  Riki  has  Daikoku  Sama  and  Ye- 
bisu  Sama  with  her,”  said  Kesa. 

“Well,  she  will  not  keep  them  long.  All  of 
the  girls  bring  their  idols  with  them,  but  they 
soon  throw  them  away,”  said  Fiisa. 

The  next  morning  school  began  in  good 
earnest  for  Chiye  and  Kesa.  By  six  o’clock 
the  girls  were  all  up,  and  then  came  a time  of 
washing,  dressing,  and  airing  futons.  Then 
some  of  the  girls  knelt  and  prayed  to  the  un- 
seen God;  one  or  two  offered  their  devotions  to 
the  idols  which  they  had  brought;  and  a large 
girl,  Haru,  saluted  the  sun. 

“To  whom  shall  we  pray,  sister?”  asked 
Kesa. 

“ Dogu^  I should  like  to  pray  to  the  true  God, 
but  I do  n’t  know  what  to  say,  Kesa.” 

“How  did  the  teacher  pray  last  night, 
Chiye?” 

“ He  asked  the  true  God  to  bless  us  and  make 
us  happy,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ’s  sake.” 

Kesa  knelt  by  her  sister’s  side  while  Chiye 
prayed:  “Oh,  true  God,  bless  us  and  make  us 

happy,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ’s  sake.” 

“I  think  that  will  do,  Chiye,”  said  Kesa,  as 
they  rose  from  their  knees. 

They  followed  the  rest  of  the  girls  into  the 
dining-room,  where  they  found,  each  on  her 
own  little  table,  a bowl  of  rice,  steaming  hot, 
and  a cup  of  tea.  Kesa  sat  by  Chiye  and  was 


SCHOOL  DAYS. 


237 


just  taking  up  her  chopsticks  to  begin  eating, 
when  her  sister  called, 

“Wait,  Kesa.” 

Kesa  saw  all  the  girls  bowing  their  heads  and 
waited  while  an  elderly  woman,  who  resembled 
Kei  in  appearance  and  dress,  said  a simple 
grace. 

“What  did  Kotu  say,  sister?”  asked  Kesa. 

“She  thanked  God  for  giving  us  this  food,” 
said  Chiye. 

“I  think  that  was  very  nice,”  rejoined  Kesa, 
and  then  took  up  the  chopsticks  and  soon  made 
way  with  the  rice. 

After  breakfast  the  girls  had  time  for  a walk 
beside  the  bay.  At  nine  they  all  went  into  the 
schoolroom,  where  the  day’s  exercises  were  begun 
with  singing,  prayer,  and  Bible-reading.  The 
Scripture  lesson  occupied  half  an  hour,  and  all 
listened  attentively  to  the  native  teacher’s  ex- 
planation of  the  story  of  creation. 

All  of  the  servants  came  in  and  sat  near  the 
door.  Yenoske  tried  to  understand,  but  thought 
the  subject  very  puzzling.  He  knew  that  the 
world  was  beautiful  and  that  he  loved  it,  but  he 
cared  little  as  to  how  it  was  made  or  who 
made  it. 

Then  came  the  English  classes.  When  each 
reading  class  was  dismissed  the  girls  composing 
it  were  sent  to  the  translation  teacher,  who  saw 
that  they  understood  what  they  read.  These 


238 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


classes  occupied  the  time  until  twelve  o’clock, 
when  there  was  an  intermission  of  two  hours. 

The  noon  meal  was  like  the  breakfast,  except 
that  the  girls  had  also  fish  with  sauce  and  a dish 
of  greens  stood  beside  each  rice-bowl.  They  al- 
ways had  greens  or  Japanese  “sugar  potatoes” 
or  lily  and  lotus  roots  for  dinner. 

The  girls  had  their  Chinese  writing  and  Jap- 
anese and  Chinese  reading  lessons  in  the  after- 
noon. They  wrote  in  the  dining-room  at  the 
same  little  tables  on  which  they  had  their  rice- 
bowls  at  meals. 

At  four  all  assembled  in  the  schoolroom,  and 
after  a hymn  and  some  words  from  their  teacher 
they  were  dismissed. 

After  this  a half-hour  was  spent  in  Bible  study 
by  those  who  especially  desired  it.  Chiye  quick- 
ly joined  this  Bible-class,  but  Kesa  preferred  go- 
ing out  to  play  with  the  younger  girls,  and  most  of 
the  day  scholars  went  home. 

Again  in  the  evening  the  boarding  pupils  as- 
sembled around  the  large  table  in  the  study-room, 
where,  after  worship,  they  had  talks  with  their 
teacher.  It  was  hard  at  first  to  get  them  to  talk 
freely,  but  they  were  learning  to  come  to  her  with 
their  petty  grievances,  wdth  their  questionings 
about  things  wdiich  they  did  not  understand,  and 
with  their  pleasures  as  w’ell  as  their  sorrows  and 
perplexities.  Miss  Wilton  knew  all  their  homes 
and  could  talk  with  them  of  father,  mother,  bro- 


SCHOOL  DAYS. 


239 


tilers,  and  sisters,  thus  drawing  them  close  to  her 
with  her  intelligent  sympathy.  She  thought  this 
evening  hour  the  very  pleasantest  of  all  the  pleas- 
ant hours  of  the  day,  and  so  thought  the  girls. 

Many  a day  passed  thus  for  Chiye  and  Kesa; 
many  a day  thus  came  and  went  for  their  devoted 
teacher. 

“I  thought,  when  I had  made  the  one  great 
sacrifice,  that  that  was  the  end  of  little  worries; 
but  I find  that  life  is  the  same  in  the  mission-field 
as  anywhere  else,”  said  Miss  Wilton  one  day  to 
the  doctor’s  wife. 

“Yes,  life  is  made  up  of  little  things  here  as 
well  as  in  America,  dear  Miss  Wilton,”  answered 
Mrs.  Fielding.  And  the  teacher  soon  learned  to 
go  cheerfully  through  the  routine  of  school-work 
and  to  bear  bravely  all  the  annoyances  which  fell 
to  her  lot. 

Chiye  soon  left  Kesa  far  behind  in  her  studies. 
Miss  Wilton  gloried  in  the  older  sister’s  rapid 
progress,  but  she  loved  the  little  Kesa.  The 
child  had  an  irresistibly  winning  way  of  giving  a 
bright  upward  glance  at  her  teacher’s  face  when 
she  had  spelled  or  read  a word,  and  she  had  not 
been  long  in  the  school  before  Miss  Wilton  no- 
ticed her  sweet,  clear  voice  rising  above  all  the 
others  when  the  girls  sang  their  hymns. 

“I  often  make  them  sing,  ‘I  am  so  glad  that 
our  Father  in  heaven,’  in  order  to  hear  that 
child’s  voice  ring  out,  ‘Jesus  loves  even  me,’” 


240 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Miss  Wilton  said  one  day,  when  Mrs.  Fielding 
had  been  speaking  of  Kesa  and  her  own  increas- 
ing interest  in  Marion’s  little  friend. 

In  the  meantime  Saijiro  was  making  good 
progress  in  his  English  studies  in  the  boys’  school 
in  the  adjoining  compound.  He  also  studied 
Chinese  and  Japanese  and  was  gaining  knowl- 
edge of  the  Scriptures.  His  ambition  v/as  to 
write  a letter  to  his  “mother  in  America;”  and 
bravely  did  he  work  over  the  English  alphabet, 
and  tried  to  hold  his  pen  in  the  English  way. 
His  room-mate  was  a studious,  thoughtful  youth, 
named  Harukichi. 

“I  wish  to  study  and  be  a teacher  of  the 
Christian  doctrine,”  he  said  to  Saijiro  one  day. 

“And  can  you  not,  Harukichi?”  asked  the 
boy. 

Dogu!  the  honorable  parents  will  not  hear 
of  it;  if  I do  it,  I may  not  go  home  nor  look  upon 
their  honorable  faces  again.  When  I went  home 
last  summer  I begged  them  to  let  me  become  a 
Christian  teacher;  but  honorable  mother’s  honor- 
able tears  fell  fast,  and  she  beat  her  breast  and 
tore  her  hair.  What  will  your  honorable  parents 
say,  Saijiro,  if  you  wish  to  be  a Christian?” 

Dogu^  I have  no  honorable  parents,  except 
my  mother  in  America,”  answered  Saijiro. 

The  conversation  dropped,  but  Saijiro  knew 
that  the  Chinese  Bible  was  Harukichi’s  favorite 
volume.  Day  and  night  he  studied  it,  and  one 


SCHOOL  DAYS.  24 1 

day  Saijiro,  coming  in  unexpectedly,  found  him 
engaged  in  earnest  prayer. 

“Have  you  no  image  which  you  worship?” 
asked  Saijiro. 

“No;  I worship  the  Christians’  God,”  Ham- 
kichi  answered. 

Yenoske,  all  this  time,  was  faithfully  dischar- 
ging'his  duties  as  under-servant  in  the  doctor’s 
family,  carrying  wood,  bringing  water,  perform- 
ing the  most  servile  tasks  with  the  cheerfulness 
and  readiness  which  had  always  characterized 
him.  Often  his  eyes  turned  longingly  and  lov- 
ingly to  the  long  line  of  the  Hakone  Hills;  but  he 
never  complained  or  spoke  of  his  yearning  for 
his  mountain  home.  And  he  gained  from  his 
mistress  that  which  she  said  seemed  to  her  the 
highest  of  all  titles — that  of  “faithful  servant.” 

One  morning,  late  in  September,  when  the 
girls  went  to  take  their  exercise  on  the  beach, 
they  noticed  that  the  clouds  were  very  dark  over- 
head and  that  the  waves  were  breaking  into  white 
caps.  Thousands  of  ugly-looking  black  bugs, 
which  had  their  homes  in  the  crevices  of  the 
rocks  of  the  breakwater,  came  creeping  up  on 
the  shore  and  on  the  sides  of  the  mission-house. 

“Ah,  a taifuT'' — great  wind — said  the  girls; 
and  some  of  the  little  ones  began  to  cry.  In 
truth,  a typhoon  is  something  to  be  dreaded. 
These  terrible  winds  sweep  the  coast  of  China 
and  Japan  once  a year,  always  in  the  late  summer 


Kes t mill  Saijiro. 


16 


242 


KESA  AND  SAITIRO. 


or  early  fall;  and  woe  to  the  ships  which  are 
cauo;ht  in  their  centre  ! 

When  the  girls  first  noticed  the  approaching 
storm  the  fishermen  were  hasteninof  into  the 
river  with  their  boats.  Right  gallantly  did  the 
frail-looking  little  sampans  ride  the  waves,  never 
taking  in  a drop  of  water,  but  always  high  and 
dry  on  top  of  the  billows.  Bravely  did  the  boat- 
men work  their  oars,  and  beautifully  did  the  sail- 
boats bend  to  the  wind  and  allow  themselves  to 
be  driven  into  the  harbor.  In  came  all  the  fish- 
ing-boats, all  the  pleasure-craft,  all  the  junks,  all 
the  sampa7is — a whole  fleet  of  vessels  running  in 
front  of  the  gale  into  the  safe  river.  Outside  rode 
some  men-of-war,  tossed  like  cockles  by  the  fierce 
weaves. 

Higher  and  higher  rose  the  billows;  darker 
and  darker  grew  the  clouds.  The  waves  leaped 
over  the  breakwater  and  at  last  dashed  on  the 
second-story  veranda  of  the  mission-house.  Tiles, 
fence-rails,  gate-posts,  everything  that  was  in  the 
least  degree  loose,  flew  about  like  so  many  feath- 
ers before  the  wind.  Oh,  the  creaking  and  groan- 
ing of  the  rafters,  the  sound  of  the  rushing, 
roaring  waters,  the  rough  voice  of  the  howling 
wind  ! 

There  was  no  school  that  day;  but  in  the 
evening  Miss  Wilton  sent  word  to  the  girls  to 
gather  in  the  study-room,  and  soon  came  to  them, 
accompanied  by  Makichi,  the  venerable  teacher 


SCHOOL  DAYS.  243 

who  conducted  the  Bible  exercises  in  the  school- 
room every  morning. 

“Ah,  a great  storm!  Have  you  feared,  my 
children?”  asked  Makichi. 

“Truly,  yes,  honorable  senseiy 

“ I have  come,”  he  said,  “to  read  you  a story 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  when  he  was  in  a storm  on  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.” 

The  girls  listened  while  Makichi  read  these 
sweet  words  of  the  evangelist  Mark  : 

“And  there  arose  a great  storm  of  wind,  and 
the  waves  beat  into  the  ship,  so  that  it  was  now 
full.  And  he  was  in  the  hinder  part  of  the  ship, 
asleep  on  a pillow:  and  they  awake  him,  and 
say  unto  him.  Master,  carest  thou  not  that  we 
perish  ? And  he  arose,  and  rebuked  the  wind, 
and  said  unto  the  sea.  Peace,  be  still.  And  the 
wind  ceased,  and  there  was  a great  calm.” 

“It  is  very  beautiful,”  said  the  older  girls. 

“But,”  asked  one,  “does  the  God  of  the 
Christians  do  everything  himself?  Has  he  no 
servants?  Our  Hachiman  Sama  has  horses  and 
doves.  Inari  Sama  has  the  fox.  And  there  are 
the  Thunder-god  and  the  Pain-god  and  so  many 
others.” 

“The  book  of  God,”  answered  Makichi, 
“this  Bible  which  I hold  in  my  hands,  tells  us 
that  the  winds,  the  rain,  the  frost,  the  snow,  and 
the  thunder  are  all  the  servants  and  messengers 
of  the  great  true  God  who  made  the  heavens  and 


244 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


the  earth.  By-and-by  you  will  study  philosophy 
and  learn  how  God  uses  these  things,  become  ac- 
quainted with  some  of  the  laws  by  which  he  reg- 
ulates them.”  Then  Makichi  prayed  with  the 
girls,  and  they  went  to  bed  calm  and  peaceful  in 
the  midst  of  the  storm. 

The  next  morning  the  wind  had  ceased,  all 
the  clouds  had  rolled  away,  and  out  shone  the 
sun,  seemingly  brighter  and  more  glorious  than 
ever.  The  sea  and  sky  were  alike  of  a deep 
blue.  All  the  little  fishing-boats,  all  the  junks 
and  sampans  and  pleasure-craft,  came  out  of  the 
river  and  danced  on  the  waters.  Japan  was  beau- 
tiful, all  fresh  and  green,  and  the  hearts  of  the 
people  rejoiced.  The  girls  crowded  on  the  upper 
veranda  of  the  mission-house  to  see  Mt.  Fuji. 
There  it  stood,  a grand  white  cone  rising  far 
above  the  other  mountains. 

“It  is  beautiful,”  said  the  missionaries.  “ No 
wonder  the  Japanese,  from  their  standpoint,  wor- 
ship it,  the  grandest  thing  in  all  Dai  Nippon.” 

“But  to  worship  at  its  top  cannot  make  peo- 
ple holy.  Only  the  blood  of  Christ  can  wash 
away  our  sins,”  said  a Christian  girl. 


MIDWINTER  IN  TOKIO. 


245- 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

MIDWINTER  IN  TOKIO. 

WaPvM  September  gave  place  to  golden  Octo- 
ber. October  passed,  and  November’s  cold, 
dreary  days  came.  It  rained  a great  deal,  and 
the  children  had  to  go  to  school  in  jinrikishas 
covered  with  oiled  paper.  And  now  it  was  far  on 
in  December  and  nearing  the  happy  Christmas 
and  New  Year’s  time. 

“ Next  week,”  said  Kesa,  as  she  sat  by  Hana’s 
side  one  Friday  afternoon  when  she  and  Chiye 
had  returned  to  their  home  after  the  week  in 
school,  ‘ ‘ there  will  be  a great  feast  of  the  Chris- 
tians.” 

“What  is  it?”  asked  Hana. 

“ They  call  it  Christmas,  and  it  is  in  honor  of 
the  birthday  of  Christ.” 

“What  will  the  Christians  do?” 

“The  boys  of  the  school  are  going  to  get  trees 
and  berries,  and  the  teacher  will  have  Chinese 
oranges,  nuts,  and  other  foreign  things  for  us. 
We  are  learning  some  songs  for  Christmas,  but 
they  are  in  English,  and  you  wouldn’t  under- 
stand them,  Hana.” 

“ Do  you  understand  them,  Kesa?” 

“Not  very  well.  But  oh,  Hana,  Marion  san 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


. 246 

has  such  a pretty  new  hat  with  a red  feather  in  it, 
and  a new  cloak!  She  says  that  her  grandmother 
in  America  sent  them  to  her.  And  the  teachers 
all  have  new  clothes,  and  every  one  is  happy  for 
the  holidays.” 

“Well,  and  aren’t  we  getting  new  things  for 
the  holidays  too,  Kesa?  Tell  me  about  your 
book.” 

“Well,  I read  a story  about  a lazy  man  who 
went  and  sat  down  in  the  sun.  Hana,  I think 
that  is  very  foolish.  How  could  a man  go  and 
sit  down  in  the  sun?” 

“I  don’t  know  how  he  could  get  up  there,” 
said  Hana. 

“ It  is  in  the  honorable  foreigners’  book,”  said 
Kesa. 

“Wo  will  ask  Chiye,”  said  Hana,  “and  she  ’ll 
tell  us  about  the  Christmas  hymns.  You  don’t 
seem  to  understand  anything  very  well,  Kesa.” 

In  truth,  poor  little  Kesa  was  blundering  along 
in  the  dark.  Chiye  was  kind  to  her,  but  often 
failed  in  giving  needed  help,  chiefly  because  she 
did  not  realize  that  it  was  needed. 

The  child  learned  the  letters  and  words  in  a 
mechanical  way  which  deceived  her  teachers,  who 
were  far  from  suspecting  how  little  she  under- 
stood or  how  often  the  bright  eyes  were  filled 
with  tears  as  she  tried  to  study.  But  she  was 
naturally  merry  and  happy,  and  quickly  forgot 
her  troubles  when  playtime  came. 


MIDWINTER  IN  TOKIO. 


2m7 

Chive,  on  the  other  hand,  grasped  everything, 
so  when  Hana,  a little  later,  asked  her  about 
Christmas  and  the  hymns,  she  was  able  to  explain 
them. 

“They  are  hymns,”  she  said,  “ about  the  in-  . 
fant  Jesus,  who  was  born  in  a stable  in  a town 
called  Bethlehem.  There  w^ere  shepherds  watch- 
ing their  flocks  at  night,  when  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  came  down  and  told  them  that  Jesus  was 
born.  And  then  a great  many  angels  came  and 
sang  and  told  the  shepherds  where  to  go.  And 
they  went  and  worshipped  the  holy  child.” 

Sister,  there  is  something  about  a star,”  said 

Kesa. 

“Oh,  yes.  Some  wise  men  in  another  coun- 
try wanted  to  And  the  infant  Jesus,  and  a star 
went  before  them  and  stood  over  the  place  where 
he  was.  And  the  men  went  in  and  gave  gifts.” 
Dogu  P''  said  Mrs.  Fujisawa. 

She  and  Hana  remained  firm  in  their  Buddh- 
ist faith,  although  they  liked  the  Bible  stories, 
and  the  lives  of  the  “Sixteen  Holy  Disciples” 
had  somewhat  lost  their  charm. 

The  girls  had  to  leave  home  early  Sunday 
morning  in  order  to  get  to  the  mission  in  time  for 

o c> 

the  Sunday-school,  wdiich  was  held  from  half-past 
nine  until  eleven.  Then  the  boys  and  girls  had 
time  for  study  and  rest  until  the  hour  for  afternoon 
service.  The  girls  had  of  their  own  accord  organ- 
ized a noon  prayer-meeting,  and  very  sweet  and 


24S  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

simple  and  full  of  faith  were  the  petitions  which 
they  put  up. 

Long  before  two  o’clock  that  afternoon  people 
began  to  gather  together  for  the  service.  Kei, 
whose  interest  in  her  wonderful  book  was  increas- 
ing, came  from  her  little  house  near  Nippon  Bo- 
shi.  Aka^  Mitsu,  and  the  yashiki  Baba  were 
therewith  their  Testaments,  and  Fusa  gladly  wel- 
comed her  parents  for  the  first  time. 

The  church  was  a low  wooden  building  with 
high  windows,  and  furnished  with  benches.  A 
table  served  for  a pulpit;  this  was  on  a platform 
covered  with  neat  Chinese  matting.  At  the  side 
of  the  platform  was  a good-sized  cabinet  organ. 
The  warm  sunlight  poured  through  the  windows. 
There  were  flowers  on  the  table,  and  everything 
looked  cheerful  and  pleasant. 

The  services  were  long;  the  Japanese  seemed 
to  expect  this;  it  was  not  worth  while  to  come  so 
far  and  then  go  away  immediately.  Sometimes 
a little  child  would  grow  restless  and  trot 
around  the  church,  the  little  bell  it  wore  tink- 
ling as  it  went  hither  and  thither.  Sometimes 
a drowsy  person  would  fall  asleep,  when  one 
of  the  ushers  would  poke  the  offender  with  a long 
stick. 

The  sermons  were  simple  expositions  of  the 
gospel  with  many  texts  interspersed.  “Sow  the 
word,  the  pure  word  of  God,  and  ask  his  blessing 
on  it,”  said  the  missionary.  And  the  people  lis- 


MIDWINTER  IN  TOKIO.  2^9 

tened  attentively,  while  the  truth  sank  deep  into 
many  a heart. 

On  this  Sabbath  before  Christmas  the  story  of 
the  Babe  of  Bethlehem  was  told  to  the  people  ; 
and  many  an  eye  brightened  with  interest  as  they 
listened. 

When  the  prayer  after  the  sermon  was  ended, 
Mr.  West  said,  “We  will  sing  ‘Rock  of  Ages.’  ” 

Old  Kei  sang  with  all  her  heart, 

“ Nothing  in  my  hands  I bring, 

Simply  to  thy  cross  I cling.” 

Had  she  not  gone  with  offerings — even  the  very 
best  she  possessed — to  the  idol  shrines?  Had  she 
not  cut  off  the  long  black  tresses  from  her  head 
and  hung  them  up  in  the  temple  ? Had  she  not 
gone  on  toilsome  pilgrimages  and  made  many 
prayers  in  weariness  and  painfulness?  And  all  to 
no  avail.  And  now  she  stood  up  and  sang  the 
sweet  words  which  have  been  the  comfort  of  so 
many  weary  hearts,  and  was  happy. 

The  people  lingered  after  the  service  to  greet 
one  another  and  to  talk;  and  many  said  that  the 
doctrine  was  good,  and  many  thanked  God  for  his 
blessings  to  them. 

Of  all  the  people  who  went  away  from  the 
church  that  afternoon,  none  had  listened  more 
closely  than  Chiye  Fujisawa;  no  one  had  tried 
harder  to  understand  them  than  Kesa;  no  one  was 
more  respectfully  attentive  than  Saijiro;  and  no 
one  was  more  puzzled  than  Yenoske. 


250 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


In  tlie  evening  the  boys  and  girls  gathered  to- 
gether to  receive  Bible  instruction  in  the  mission 
chapel  on  the  girls’  compound.  They  repeated 
verses  and  studied  a simple  catechism. 

One  would  think  they  would  have  wearied, 
but  that  night,  when  Miss  Wilton  was  sitting  by 
the  fire,  thinking  that  the  day’s  work  was  over, 
slie  heard  a timid  knock  at  the  door. 

“ Come  in,”  she  said. 

It  was  Chiye  who  had  knocked;  and  when  she 
and  the  other  girls  had  come  and  crowded  around 
their  teacher  she  said,  “Oh,  sensei^  we  want  to 
know  more;  please,  please  teach  ns  more.” 

The  girls  and  boys  had  a happy  Christmas  at 
the  mission.  They  sang  around  the  tree,  which 
Saijiro  and  some  of  the  other  boys  had  brought 
from  a garden  near  Tokio,  and  pretty  gifts  were 
distributed  among  them.  They  called  the  day 
the  “birthday  of  Jesus,”  and  most  of  them  knew 
the  meaning  of  the  hymns  and  the  reason  why 
such  pretty  presents  were  given  them.  “As  the 
Father  has  given  to  us  the  great  gift  of  his  Son, 
so  do  we  present  gifts  to  one  another.” 

Saijiro  was  one  of  the  boys  who  carried  around 
the  candy-bags  and  Chinese  oranges  to  the  girls. 
Kesa  looked  up  to  thank  him  as  she  took  hers, 
and  for  the  first  time  their  eyes  met. 

And  now  it  was  time  for  them  to  separate  for 
the  two  weeks’  vacation;  so  in  the  gathering 
twilight  of  the  late  winter  afternoon,  and  with 


MIDWINTER  IN  TOKIO. 


251 


the  prayers  and  the  blessings  of  the  teachers,  the 
girls  and  boys  dispersed  to  their  homes. 

Mrs.  Fujisawa  had  been  more  than  once  to  her 
door  to  look  for  her  children,  and  was  glad  to  hear 
the  welcome  sound  of  the  jinrikishas. 

“ I have  a Chinese  orange  and  a bag  of  foreign 
candy  for  yon,  Hana,”  said  Kesa. 

“ A very  great  thank-you,”  said  Hana,  reach- 
ing out  her  hand  to  take  the  treasures. 

“We  are  going  to  take  our  teachers  presents 
on  New  Year’s  day,”  said  Kesa. 

“I  wish  I could  send  the  doctor’s  good  wife 
something,”  sighed  Hana. 

“So  you  shall,  darling,”  said  the  mother,  and 
brought  her  a piece  of  beautiful  crape. 

“Thanks,  honorable  mother,”  said  the  sick 
girl,  and  laid  it  away  to  give  to  Kesa  on  the  New 
Year’s  morning. 

The  year  opened  beautifully  in  Tokio.  There 
was  scarcely  a cloud  in  the  sky  all  day,  and  the 
winter  flowers,  the  camellias  and  jonquils,  and  the 
red  berries  were  glorious.  The  missionary  ladies 
and  children  had  gathered  in  the  parlor,  which 
was  tastefully  decorated  with  flowers  and  berries. 

“Holidays  are  the  homesick  times,”  said  the 
doctor’s  wife,  drawing  her  little  daughter  closer 
toiler.  “I  feel  sorry  to  think  that  my  Marion 
has  missed  the  winter  joys  of  the  home-land:  the 
gathering  together  of  the  happy  band  of  relatives; 
the  snow-balling,  sleighing,  skating;  the  nuts  and 


252 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


apples  around  the  fire;  grandpa’s  and  grandma’s 
kisses  and  welcomes.  But  she  shall  know  them 
some  time.  ’ ’ 

“Yes,  these  anniversaries  are  the  hardest 
days  of  the  year,”  responded  Miss  Wilton,  who 
was  also  thinking  of  the  dear  ones  at  home. 

But  their  thoughts  were  diverted  by  a shout 
from  Carroll,  and  looking  from  the  window  they 
saw  a long  line  of  jinrikishas,  filled  with  laugh- 
ing, happy  girls,  coming  along  the  Bund  (levee), 
bound  for  the  mission.  The  girls  wore  bright 
new  sashes  and  hairpins,  and  each  one  carried 
some  gift  for  her  teachers  and  friends. 

“Happy  New  Year!”  they  all  shouted  at 
once,  as  they  alighted  from  the  jinrikishas  and 
saw  their  friends,  who  had  hastened  out  on  the 
veranda  to  meet  them. 

“ Happy  New  Year  !”  responded  the  mission- 
aries, and  the  merry  girls  were  conducted  into 
the  parlor. 

Daintily  and  gracefully  they  presented  their 
gifts. 

“Will  you  condescend  to  stoop  down  and  ac- 
cept a little  token  from  me?”  said  one,  offering  a 
beautiful  lacquered  box. 

“May  I lift  up  a small,  poor  gift  to  you?” 
said  another,  presenting  flowers  and  eggs. 

There  were  cups  and  balls  for  IMarion  and  Car- 
roll,  and  boxes  of  confectionery,  silks,  and  crapes 
for  the  ladies. 


•MIDWINTER  IN  TOKIO. 


253 


“My  sick  sister  Hana  sends  this  to  you,  and 
begs  your  honorable  acceptance,”  said  Chive, 
handing  the  doctor’s  wife  Hana’s  exquisite  .piece 
of  crape. 

“ Thank  your  sister  very  much  for  me,  Chiye. 
How  is  she?”  said  Mrs.  Fielding. 

“Thanks,  she  suffers  less  pain.” 

“And  she  does  not  yet  believe  in  the  Chris- 
tians’ God,  Chiye?” 

“ Dogu^  she  loves  to  listen  to  the  stories  of  the 
Ford  Jesus,  but  she  also  loves  Shaka  Sama.  She 
does  not  know  which  to  believe.” 

“ But  she  has  the  picture  of  the  shepherd  and 
the  lambs  that  you  gave  her,  and  often  looks  at 
it,”  said  Kesa. 

“ Many,  many  thanks  for  your  coming  and  your 
gifts,”  said  the  ladies  as  the  girls  rose  to  depart. 

“We  should  like  to  have  you  remain  longer, 
but  cannot  keep  you  from  your  own  homes,”  said 
Miss  Wilton. 

The  girls  left  with  bows  and  saionaras  and 
many  good  wishes. 

“That  is  the  most  beautiful  Japanese  child  I 
ever  saw,”  said  Mrs.  Fielding,  as  Kesa  Fujisawa 
waved  a saionara  from  her  jinrikisha. 

“ The  Japanese  do  not  consider  her  pretty,” 
answered  Miss  Wilton.  “But  these  Fujisawa 
girls  both  look  you  in  the  eye,  and  it  is  seldom 
that  any  of  the  others  will  do  that.  They  seem 
like  American  "iris  to  me.” 

o 


254 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


‘‘I  am  going  over  into  the  city  to  a prayer- 
meeting to-night,”  said  Harukichi  to  Saijiro  one 
cold  winter  afternoon  during  the  vacation. 

“Ah,  I should  like  to  go  with  yoti,”  said  Sai- 
jiro, and  one  or  two  of  the  other  boys  begged  per- 
mission to  be  of  the  party. 

Harukichi  was  glad  to  have  them  accompany 
him  and  readily  granted  permission. 

Yenoske,  hearing  of  the  meeting,  asked  if  he 
might  go  too.  So  in  the  early  evening  quite  a 
little  company  started  from  the  mission-house  to 
go  to  the  pra\’cr-meeting  in  the  city.  The  night 
was  cold  and  dark,  and  all  weie  closely  muffled 
and  carried  lanterns.  Their  wooden  clogs  made 
a sharp,  ringing  noise  on  the  stones,  and  as  they 
walked  they  talked  together  in  low,  musical 
tones. 

“Ah,”  said  Makichi,  “I  remember  well  the 
days  when  those  who  wished  to  study  with  the 
honorable  foreigners  stole  over  these  walks  at 
night,  one  at  a time,  in  order  to  avoid  the  notice 
of  the  offlcers.” 

“Yes,”  answered  a friend;  “and  you  were 
threatened,  Makichi.  Did  you  not  feel  afraid?” 
Dogu^  the  flesh  is  weak,  and  sometimes  I did 
tremble;  but  I know  I should  have  had  strength 
to  endure  even  the  horrors  of  a prison.” 

They  were  walking  through  the  Foreign  Con- 
cession and  came  at  last  to  the  bridge  which  di- 
vides it  from  the  city  proper. 


MIDWINTER  IN  TOKIO. 


255 


“This  is  where  the  guards  were  stationed  in 
the  olden  times.  Dogu^  one  night  some  anti-for- 
eign outlaws  broke  through  and  got  into  Tokiji” 
(the  Foreign  Concession).  “What  a time  that 
was  !”  said  Makichi. 

“Yes,”  answered  the  other,  “the  honorable 
foreigners  could  not  go  out  unaccompanied  by 
guards.  ’ ’ 

They  passed  the  gate  and  entered  a wdde 
street.  Lanterns  hung  from  the  houses  on  each 
side.  A blind  shampooer  was  walking  along, 
now  and  then  blowing  his  shrill  whistle.  Another 
man  was  trundling  a cart  and  crying  out,  “5^V- 
nray  This  is  a kind  of  soup  of  which  the  Japan- 
ese are  very  fond.  A few  children  were  playing 
in  the  street,  and  occasionally  a man  or  woman 
passed  by.  Every  one  was  muffied  and  carried  a 
lantern.  The  coolies  who  drew  the  jinrikishas 
found  it  difficult  to  keep  their  lanterns  burning. 
The  wind  would  often  extinguish  their  lights,  and 
then  they  would  go  on  without  any  until  stopped 
by  a policeman. 

On  went  the  little  company  of  believers 
through  the  great  heathen  city,  until  they  came 
to  the  Tori.  There  all  was  life  and  activity.  The 
lanterns  made  a beautiful  display  as  the  swiftly- 
moving  crowd  shifted  from  place  to  place.  The 
cries  of  the  fishmongers,  the  sojiura  men  and  the 
sweet-i‘<^/(v  venders,  the  whistle  of  the  amas  (shani- 
pooers),  the  appeals  of  the  story-tellers,  and  the 


256 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Strange  sounds  of  the  coolies  as  they  toiled  under 
their  heavy  loads,  all  made  a deafening  uproar. 

The  teacher  led  the  way  quickly  across  the 
Tori  to  one  of  the  back  streets,  and  passing 
through  a dark,  narrow  alley,  they  stopped  at  the 
entrance  of  a large  house.  They  were  evidently 
expected,  for  some  one  from  within  quickly  admit- 
ted them  and  led  them  through  the  kitchen  to  a 
room  in  the  rear. 

Here  \vere  gathered  about  seventy  people.  An 
elderly  man,  evidently  the  proprietor,  rose  to  greet 
the  company  from  the  mission,  and  the  rest  of  the 
people  bowed.  There  were  three  or  four  large  hi- 
bachis  in  the  room  filled  with  glowing  coals.  Over 
these  sat  some  old  people,  warming  their  hands. 
Some  fine-looking  young  men  with  Bibles  sat  in 
one  corner,  and  in  another  were  some  youfig  wo- 
men and  children.  Three  or  four  blind  men  sat 
by  a little  table,  and  near  them  was  a thoughtful- 
looking  priest  in  yellow  robes.  There  was  no 
light  in  the  room  save  that  thrown  out  by  the 
coals  in  the  Jiibachis  and  the  flickering  flames  of 
three  or  four  tallow  candles. 

“Dear  friends,”  said  Makiehi  after  the  open- 
ing services,  “ we  have  come  together  for  a prayer- 
meeting. This  is  the  first  one  we  have  had  in 
this  neighborhood,  and  many  of  you  have  come  to 
pray  to  the  Christians’  God  for  the  first  time.  We 
do  not  have  to  call  loudly  to  him.  We  do  not 
have  to  beat  drums  or  ring  bells  or  strike  on  the 


MIDWINTER  IN  TOKIO. 


257 


ground  with  our  staves.  Neither  do  we  have  to 
repeat  his  name  over  and  over,  and  so  gain  merit. 
He  tells  us  that  he  is  our  Father  and  that  we 
are  his  children;  and  prayer  is  asking  him  for 
what  we  want,  telling  him  our  troubles,  begging 
him  to  relieve  our  distresses  and  pardon  our  sins, 
and  thanking  him  for  mercies,- through  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

“Now  I know  that  some  of  you  here  to-night 
have  wants  and  cares,  that  you  need  God’s  help, 
and  that  you  also  have  many  mercies  for  which 
you  can  thank  him.  I see  old  Maka  crying  bit- 
terly. My  friends,  her  sorrow  is  a heavy  one. 
We  all  know  that  her  beloved  son  is  in  prison  for 
committing  a crime.  Can  the  Lord  help  Maka? 
Oh,  yes;  he  can  give  her  strength  to  bear  her 
troubles.  And  prison  walls  cannot  keep  out  the 
Lord  Jesus.  He  can  visit  poor  Jujiro  in  his  cell 
and  can  turn  his  heart  to  Him.  Listen  to  what  he 
says  to  those  who  were  thieves:  ‘Let  him  that 
stole  steal  no  more;  but  rather  let  him  labor, 
working  with  his  hands.’  And  here  is  another 
text,  ‘ The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin.’  Dearly  beloved,  there  is  hope 
for  a thief.  Let  us  pray  for  Maka  and  her 
son.” 

The  woman  stopped  her  sobbing  to  listen  while 
one  of  the  Christian  men  poured  out  his  heart  in 
her  behalf. 

“And  now,”  continued  Makichi,  “I  hear  that 

17 


Kesa  aiiil  Saljlro. 


258 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Rosuki  has  lost  some  of  his  worldly  goods  and 
that  his  heart  is  sorely  troubled.” 

Rosuki  bowed. 

“Dear  friends,  listen  to  what  the  Lord  Jesus 
says  to  such : 

“ ‘Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon 
earth,  where  moth  and  dust  doth  corrupt,  and 
where  thieves  break  through  and  steal;  but  lay  up 
for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither 
moth  nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do 
not  break  through  nor  steal ; for  where  your  treas- 
ure is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also.’  Let  us  pray 
for  Rosuki.” 

Harukichi  led  in  a short,  fervent  prayer;  and 
as  he  prayed  the  hearts  of  the  people  were 
drawn  upward  to  the  glorious  inheritance  of  the 
saints. 

“ And  poor  Riki  ” — again  the  teacher  spoke — 
“has  lost  her  two  darling  children,  the  joy  and 
the  pride  of  her  heart.  Ah,  how  lovingly  the 
Lord  speaks  to  the  bereaved  mother!  He  says, 

‘ Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and 
forbid  them  not:  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
God.’  Rejoice,  O friends,  for  Riki  is  going  to 
start  on  a pilgrimage  to  the  land  where  her  babies 
have  gone,  to  the  land  where  Christ,  the  Good 
Shepherd,  leads  his  flock  beside  the  still  waters 
and  in  the  green  pastures. 

“ I know  there  are  those  here  whose  life  is  a 
toiling  for  daily  bread,  and  sometimes  they  know 


MIDWINTER  IN  TOKIO. 


259 


not  where  they  shall  find  house  or  food  or 
clothing.  Dearly  beloved,  the  Lord  speaks  also 
to  you,  and  says: 

“‘Be  not  anxious  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall 
eat  or  what  ye  shall  drink;  nor  yet  for  your  body, 
what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not  the  life  more  than 
food  and  the  body  than  raiment?  Behold  the 
fowls  of  the  air:  for  they  sow  not,  neither  do  they 
reap  nor  gather  into  barns;  yet  your  Heavenly 
Father  feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not  much  better 
than  they?’  ” 

And  thus  the  meeting  went  on,  and  some  hun- 
gry souls  eagerly  seized  the  bread  of  life;  thirsty 
souls  drank  joyfully  of  the  pure  waters.  The 
weary,  the  sad,  the  burdened  ones  listened  grate- 
fully to  the  words  of  Jesus. 

“Thanks,  oh!  a great  thank-you,”  said  the 
listeners  when  Makichi  ceased,  and  then  the  com- 
pany quietly  dispersed. 

Another  week,  and  the  girls  all  gathered  back 
to  the  school. 

One  evening  when  Miss  Wilton  had  gone  to 
her  room  after  worship  she  was  startled  by  a suc- 
cession of  shrieks  from  the  girls’  dormitory. 

“They  must  be  on  fire;  nothing  else  would 
make  them  scream  so,”  she  thought,  as  she  rushed, 
terrified,  from  her  room.  But  when  she  reached 
the  dormitory  she  found  the  room  totally  dark 
and  the  children  huddled  together  in  a corner. 
Some  of  the  older  girls  had  hurried  up  from  the 


26o 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


study-room  on  hearing  the  screams,  and  were  try- 
ing to  pacify  the  little  ones. 

“What  is  it?”  asked  the  startled  teacher. 

“ Hono  saw  a ghost,  a terrible  monster  dressed 
in  white,  and  with  fire  coming  out  of  its  eyes;  and 
w^e  were  all  frightened  and  put  out  the  lamps.” 

“Light  the  lamps  again,”  said  Miss  Wil- 
ton. 

“Now,  Hono,  take  your  lantern  and  go  around 
with  me,  and  we  will  see  if  there  is  anything  to 
make  you  afraid  in  the  room.” 

Into  every  corner  and  cranny  peered  Miss  Wil- 
ton, followed  by  the  trembling  Hono  with  her 
lantern.  There  was  nothing  unusual  to  be  seen, 
nothing  to  alarm  any  one;  and  after  a while  all 
settled  down  quietly  for  the  night. 

The  next  evening,  when  the  time  came  for 
their  talk.  Miss  Wilton  referred  to  their  last  even- 
ing’s alarm  and  asked  an  explanation.  “ If  any 
one  was  trying  to  frighten  Hono,  I want  to  know 
it.  Mitsuye,  was  it  you  ?” 

By  way  of  answer,  Mitsuye  rose  and  threw 
herself  down  at  her  teacher’s  feet. 

“Oh,  get  up,  Mitsuye.  That  is  not  the 
way  we  do  in  America,”  said  Miss  Wilton. 
“But  I am  glad  to  have  you  tell  me  what  you 
did.” 

“ Dogu  ! dogu  ! forgive  me;  your  condescend- 
ing forgiveness  I crave,”  said  Mitsuye. 

“Think,  Mitsuye,  how  you  frightened  Hono 


MIDWINTKR  IN  TOKIO. 


261 


and  put  all  the  little  girls  in  a panic;  and  you 
might  have  done  more  mischief.” 

Mitsuye  promised  never  to  do  such  a thing 
again,  and  the  teacher  sent  her  to  her  seat. 

“Now  see  at  what  a foolish  thing  you  were 
alarmed,”  said  Miss  Wilton,  turning  to  the  other 
girls.  “It  was  simply  Mitsuye  trying  to  frighten 
Hono.  When  will  you  girls  learn  not  to  believe 
in  bakemonosP'' 

“Japanese  mothers  and  nurses  tell  such  stories 
to  the  children  to  frighten  them  and  make  them 
keep  still,”  said  one  of  the  girls.  “And  some- 
times children  sit  and  tell  ghost  stories  until  they 
are  so  frightened  that  they  scream  and  run  from 
the  house.” 

“Well,  there  must  be  none  of  it  in  the  school,” 
rejoined  the  teacher.  ‘ ‘ The  Bible  tells  us  of  strong 
and  holy  angels  who  are  God’s  messengers,  and 
whom  he  employs  for  the  good  of  those  who  trust 
in  him.  It  also  tells  us  of  evil  spirits;  but  they 
are  all  under  God’s  control,  and  if  we  trust  him 
all  will  be  well.” 

Then  the  girls  learned  this  verse,  which  tells 
of  God’s  care  for  his  children:  “ He  shall  give  his 
angels  charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy 
ways.  They  shall  bear  thee  up  in  their  hands, 
lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a stone.” 


262 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

SPRING  BLOSSOMS. 

The  sweet  springtime  had  come  again  and 
Japan  was  full  of  flowers.  The  girls  and  boys  had 
all  been  to  “see  flowers,”  and  the  vases  in  the 
mission-house  and  school  were  filled  with  beauti- 
ful blooms  of  peach  and  cherry. 

“Good  morning,  Harukichi.  Oh,  a great 
thank-you!”  said  the  doctor’s  wife  as  the  young 
man,  followed  by  Saijiro  and  Ts’koi,  came  up 
and  presented  her  with  a flower-pot  in  which 
grew  both  pink  and  white  blossoms  from  the  same 
stalk. 

“I  thank  you,”  said  Mrs.  Fielding.  “What 
an  exquisite  branch  !” 

Turning  then  to  the  mountain  lad  she  said, 
“ Well,  Saijiro,  so  that  is  your  dog,  is  it?” 

“ Yes,  answered  Saijiro,  making  a low 

bow. 

“ How  do  you  like  the  school?” 

“Thanks,  honorable  lady,  I am  glad  to 
learn.” 

“But  still  you  would  like  to  see  your  own 
mountain  home?” 

Dogu,  yes,  sensei.  I want  more  than  all  to 
see  little  Ko.” 


SPRING  BLOSSOMS. 


26 


‘‘And  who  is  Ko ?” 

“ He  is  my  friend,  and  he  is  blind.” 

“ Poor  little  fellow  !”  said  Mrs.  Fielding.  “Is 
your  little  friend  going  to  be  an  ama?^'' 

“No,  sensei^  he  wishes  to  be  a priest.  He 
loves  Shaka  Saina.” 

“I  wish  we  could  tell  him  of  the  Ford  Jesus, 
Saijiro.” 

Dogu^  5^;/i-^’/,*Yenoske  and  I talk  about  it. 
Yenoske  did  not  care  anything  about  Jesus  until 
he  knew  that  he  opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind.” 
The  school-bell  was  ringing,  and  Saijiro,  bowing, 
went  off  to  school. 

Harukichi  had  many  things  to  trouble  and  per- 
plex him.  When  he  left  the  ladies  he  turned  and 
went  across  a small  court  to  the  room  which  Mr. 
West,  the  missionary,  occupied. 

“ Come  in,”  said  Mr.  West  in  answer  to  Haru- 
kichi’s  knock;  and  the  young  man  entered  the 
well-known  apartment  and  stood  before  the  mis- 
sionary. 

It  was  a pleasant  room,  one  window  looking 
towards  Mt.  Fuji  and  the  sunset  and  the  other 
commanding  a view  of  the  river  and  the  bay. 
There  had  been  many  long,  serious  talks  in  that 
room,  and  many  prayers  had  gone  up  from  it. 

“ Sit  down,  Harukichi.  Is  there  something 
you  wish  to  say  to  me  ?”  inquired  the  missionary. 

“Yes,  answered  the  young  man.  “I  - 

have  studied  the  Bible  long;  I love  its  teachings; 


264  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

I know  that  they  are  true.  But  I love  and  honor 
iny  parents,  and  they  hate  Christianity.” 

“Your  father  is  a wealthy  man  and  has  a 
beautiful  home,  I hear,  Harukichi.” 

“ Yes,  sensei;  and  when  I asked  his  honorable 
permission  to  be  baptized  and  to  become  a teacher 
of  Christian  doctrines  he  was  very  angry  and 
threatened  to  disinherit  me.” 

“ But  can  you  not  make  up  your  mind  to  en- 
dure losses?” 

“Yes,  sensei.  It  is  not  that  so  much  as  the 
honorable  mother’s  grief  and  tears  that  I dread. 
Bogu^  she  thinks  some  terrible  evil  will  happen  to 
all  of  us  if  I become  a Christian.  It  frightens 
her.” 

“I  think  I understand  about  it,  Harukichi.” 
“It  is  very  hard  for  me  to  know  what  to  do, 
sensei.  ’ ’ 

“Yes,  Harukichi,  I know  it  is  hard.  But 
what  says  your  own  heart?” 

“My  heart,  sensei.,  is  no  good  guide;  some- 
times it  says  one  thing  and  sometimes  another.” 
“Then,  Harukichi,  you  must  ask  guidance  of 
One  better  than  your  own  heart.  Let  us  go  to 
God  in  prayer,”  and  they  knelt  together. 

“Dear  Lord,”  prayed  ]\Ir.  West,  “ thou  seest 
before  thee  this  young  man  who  desires  to  walk 
in  thy  way.  Thou  knowest  how  many  obstacles 
there  are  in  his  path;  thou  knowest  how  many 
times  he  will  stumble  and  falter  in  it.  Show  him 


SPRING  BLOSSOMS. 


265 

thy  will;  teach  him  thy  way.  Bless  his  ignorant 
parents  and  soften  their  hearts.  Oh,  Shepherd, 
leading  thy  flock,  cause  this  soul  to  follow  thee.” 

“Thanks,  sensei^  I will  think,”  said  Haru- 
kichi  as  he  left  the  missionary;  and  Mr.  West 
kept  him  in  his  thoughts  and  in  his  prayers  all 
day. 

Suddenly  in  the  evening  of  that  day  of  flowers 
and  sunshine  there  came  a great  earthquake. 
The  solid  ground  shook  and  trembled  and  the 
mission-houses  rocked  like  ships  upon  the  sea. 
Doors  and  window-shutters  were  burst  violently 
open,  bells  were  rung,  and  small  articles  were 
thrown  down  from  tables  and  mantelpieces. 

The  terrified  girls  ran  from  the  dining-room, 
where  they  were  eating  their  rice,  out  into  the 
open  air.  The  missionaries,  who  were  also  at 
tea,  stood  up  and  held  on  to  their  plates,  dishes, 
and  lamps  as  well  as  they  could.  A feeling  of 
faintness  and  terror  came  over  each  one  as  the 
shocks  continued. 

The  disturbance  lasted  only  for  a moment  or 
two,  but  it  was  enough  to  make  them  all  realize 
the  uncertainties  of  earth;  and  the  girls  were  still 
pale  and  trembling  when  they  gathered  in  the 
study-room  for  evening  worship. 

“We  will  take  the  earthquake  for  our  lesson 
to-night,”  said  Miss  Wilton.  “ You  were  afraid, 
girls.” 

“And  you  also,  sensei^  and  the  honorable  doc- 


266 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


tor’s  wife  and  the  honorable  children?”  ques- 
tioned the  girls. 

” Yes,”  answered  Miss  Wilton,  “ we  did  fear. 
It  is  a terrible  feeling  to  have  the  ground  sud- 
denly give  way  under  you.  But  we  have  a beau- 
tiful Psalm,  part  of  which  I will  teach  you  soon. 
What  do  you  think  causes  the  earthquakes,  Chi- 
ye?” 

Dogu^  sensei^  the  Japanese  have  a foolish 
notion  that  the  world  rests  on  the  back  of  a tur- 
tle, and  that  when  the  turtle  moves  the  earth 
shakes !” 

“What  do  they  say  the  turtle  rests  on  ?” 
“That  I do  not  know,  sensei.^'' 

“ The  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  had  a fable 
that  the  sky  rested  on  the  shoulders  of  a giant 
named  Atlas,  and  that  he  became  so  weary  of  the 
burden  that  he  tried  once  to  induce  some  one  else 
to  assume  it  for  him.  How  different  is  our  God, 
who  made  and  upholds  all  things  by  the  word  of 
his  power  and  never  falters  or  wearies.” 

said  one  of  the  girls,  “ Tokio  was 
almost  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  once,  and  a 
tidal  wave  swept  over  this  part  of  Japan  and  even 
washed  the  head  of  Dai  Butsu.” 

“Yes,  I often  think  how  carelessly  we  live 
here  day  after  day,  when  at  any  time  we  may  be 
swallowed  up  in  the  depths  of  the  earth,”  said 
the  teacher. 

“We  never  think  of  the  earthquakes  until 


SPRING  BLOSSOMS.  267 

they  come,  and  then  for  a little  while  after,”  re^ 
joined  one  of  the  girls. 

“What  is  the  best  thing  to  do,  sensei?  Kei 
told  ns  one  day  when  we  had  a slight  shock  to  go 
out  on  the  roof,  and  when  the  house  fell  we  would 
be  on  top.” 

Miss  Wilton  smiled.  She  tried  to  imagine 
these  excitable  girls  sitting  quietly  on  the  roof  in 
the  event  of  such  a catastrophe  ! But  she  an- 
swered, “The  best  place,  in  case  a house  falls,  is 
a doorway,  I am  told.  Some  persons  advise  car- 
rying out  of  doors  a plank  or  a door,  to  bridge 
over  any  fissures  caused  by  the  cracking  open  of 
the  earth’s  crust.  But  the  plank  might  be  too 
short  to  be  of  any  service.  It  is  hard  to  know 
what  to  do.  ’ ’ 

“What  do  the  honorable  foreigners  say  about 
earthquakes,  sensei?^''  asked  Chiye. 

“They  have  a great  many  theories,  but  it  is 
not  known  yet  exactly  what  causes  them.  We 
know,  however,  that  Japan  is  composed  of  vol- 
canic islands  and  that  there  are  fires  under  us; 
volcanoes  form  safety-valves  for  these  fires;  and 
any  volcanic  country  is  subject  to  earthquakes.” 

Then  the  girls  learned  the  following  verses 
from,  the  forty-sixth  Psalm,  and  went  off  quieted 
and  comforted: 

“ God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a very  pres- 
ent help  in  trouble. 

“ Therefore  will  not  we  fear,  though  the  earth 


263 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


be  removed  and  though  the  mountains  be  carried 
into  the  midst  of  the  sea; 

“Though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  trou- 
bled, though  the  mountains  shake  with  the  swell- 
ing thereof.” 

“Bring  me  some  water,  Yenoske,”  said  Car- 
roll  Fielding  in  a quick,  peremptory  tone,  not  at 
all  befitting  a little  child  of  seven. 

Yenoske  obeyed,  and  Carroll  took  the  water 
without  a word  of  thanks,  drank  what  he  wanted, 
and  then  threw  the  remaining  contents  of  the 
cup  on  Yenoske’ s feet. 

“Ah,”  thought  the  patient  young  Japanese, 
“these  young  Americans  are  rude.  The  little 
master  never  did  so.” 

“Carroll,  come  to  me,”  now  called  the  doc- 
tor’s wife  from  the  veranda  whence  she  had 
watched  these  proceedings. 

The  child  slowly  and  sullenly  walked  towards 
the  house. 

“Why  do  you  speak  so  to  Yenoske,  Carroll  ?” 

“ He  is  only  a Japanese  coolie,  auntie.” 

“ Yenoske  is  worth  a great  deal  to  me.  Car- 
roll,  and  I do  not  wish  you  to  speak  or  act  in 
that  way  to  any  Japanese.” 

This  little  Carroll  Fielding  was  a hard  child  to 
manage;  he  was  passionate  and  full  of  self-conceit, 
never  willing  to  obey,  and  always  thrusting  in  his 
opinions.  The  day  thus  begun  proved  a peculiar- 
ly trying  one  for  his  aunt  and  himself;  and  when 


SPRING  BLOSSOMS. 


269 

at  last  in  the  evening  Mrs.  Fielding  left  him 
asleep  in  his  crib,  she  felt  utterly  discouraged  and 
dismayed. 

“I  do  not  know  what  to  do  with  him,”  she 
said  to  her  husband,  as  they  sat  together  on  the 
veranda. 

“Dear  Mary,  let  us  leave  the  child  in  God’s 
hands.  He  can  subdue  his  heart,”  said  the  doc- 
tor. 

“I  am  afraid  he  will  have  to  suffer,  then.” 

“Yes,  Mary,  but  the  Father  loves  him  and 
will  do  all  things  well  for  him.” 

The  next  morning  the  doctor  went  off  on  a 
missionary  tour,  and  the  children  stood  and  waved 
to  him  from  the  mission-house  as  far  as  they  could 
see  the  jinrikisha. 

The  school-bell  was  rung  at  nine  o’clock,  and 
Carroll  went,  as  usual,  to  his  aunt  for  lessons.  He 
was  quiet,  she  thought,  but  at  recess  went  out  to 
play.  Missing  him  soon  from  the  garden,  how- 
ever, Mrs.  Fielding  went  to  look  for  him,  and 
found  him  asleep  on  the  parlor  floor.  It  was  some- 
thing unusual  for  him  to  sleep  in  the  morning, 
and  Mrs.  Fielding  felt  a vague  sense  of  uneasi- 
ness, though  she  scarcely  knew  why.  She  called 
Yenoske,  who  laid  him  on  a sofa,  where  he  was 
left  to  finish  his  nap.  And  so  it  was  for  two  or 
three  days. 

‘ ‘ What  is  the  matter,  Carroll  ?’  ’ his  aunt  would 
ask;  and  the  reply  invariably  would  be. 


2/0 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“Nothing,  auntie;”  and  he  would  get  up  and 
go  on  with  his  play. 

“ Come  and  look  at  Carroll,”  said  Mrs.  Field- 
ing to  her  husband  on  the  evening  of  his  return 
from  his  three-days’  trip.  “He  seems  languid 
at  times,  and  I am  uneasy  about  him.” 

The  doctor  bent  over  the  little  bed.  The  child 
was  sleeping  quietly,  but  his  fair  hair  was  very 
damp  and  his  hands  were  very  white.  “Why, 
Mary!”  the  doctor  exclaimed;  and  the  troubled 
expression  of  his  countenance  deepened  as  he  ex- 
amined the  boy  more  closely. 

“Oh,  what  is  it,  Richard?  I did  not  think  he 
was  very  sick.  He  has  just  been  a little  languid, 
but  he  has  had  his  lessons  and  has  played  most  of 
the  time.” 

“ Mary,”  said  the  doctor,  drawing  her  to  him, 
“a  few  days  ago  we  resolved  to  leave  this  child, 
for  whom  we  have  had  so  many  anxieties,  in  our 
Heavenly  Father’s  hands.  Mary,  he  is  going  to 
take  him  to  himself;  in  a few  days  our  boy  will  be 
safe  at  home.” 

The  doctor  left  his  wife  and  went  with  sad- 
dened heart  to  stand  for  a moment  at  the  bedside 
of  their  own  little  daughter. 

Mrs.  Fielding  went  and  knelt  by  Carroll’s 
side.  She  could  not  think,  she  could  not  pray. 
Only  she  took  one  of  the  little  waxy  hands  in  hers 
and  laid  her  head  on  the  pillow  close  to  that  of 
the  sleeping  boy. 


SPRING  BLOSSOMS. 


271 


Could  it  be  possible? 

“ He  is  not  sick.  He  is  not  sick,”  sbe  repeat- 
ed a^ain  and  a«:ain  to  herself.  “He  never  com- 
plained  of  any  pain,  and  he  has  been  playing  and 
happy  all  the  time.” 

The  little  bed  was  moved  to  Mrs.  Fielding’s 
room. 

“How  came  I here,  auntie?”  asked  the  child 
with  a bright  smile  the  next  morning. 

“We  feared  you  were  not  well,  Carroll,”  an- 
swered the  doctor. 

“But  I am  well,  uncle.”  And  he  sprang  up 
and  dressed,  and  came  in  to  breakfast  looking  so 
bright  that  Mrs.  Fielding  whispered,  “Were  you 
not  mistaken,  Richard?” 

“No,  Mary,  there  can  be  no  mistake.  Is  he 
not  always  this  way  early  in  the  morning?” 

“You  may  omit  your  lessons,  Marion,  and  go  to 
play  with  Carroll;  and  when  he  is  tired,  come  in. 
I have  something  to  tell  you.”  And  the  children 
went  out  into  the  garden.  They  went  around  to 
the  side  of  the  house  and  took  their  little  spades, 
while  the  mother  watched  them  from  the  window. 
The  picture  they  made  was  one  she  remembered 
for  years  and  years.  Snatches  of  the  conversation 
were  wafted  in  through  the  open  casement.  At 
first  it  was  all  about  the  flowers. 

“I  am  going  to  have  chrysanthemums  in  my 
garden,  and  in  the  fall  they  will  be  so  pretty,” 
said  Marion. 


272 


i:esa  axd  saijiro. 


‘‘Oil,  I can’t  wait  for  chrysanthemums;  I 
must  have  something  that  will  bloom  right  away. 
I told  Yenoske  to  make  haste  and  brinof  me  some 
lilies,”  said  Carroll,  digging  earnestly  with  his 
little  spade.  “I  love  lilies,”  continued  Carroll. 
“Saijiro  has  often  told  me  of  how  Yenoske  gath- 
ered lilies  for  him  on  the  mountains.” 

Carroll’s  aunt  had  sometimes  said  that  his 
love  for  flowers  was  a very  pleasant  and  hopeful 
trait  in  his  character.  It  was,  indeed,  a passion 
with  him.  ]\Irs.  Fielding  had  often  given  him  a 
bunch  of  flowers  when  liis  hot  little  temper  had 
gained  the  mastery  and  his  impatient  little  heart 
was  boiling  over  with  rage;  and  the  sweet  influ- 
ence of  the  fair  blossoms  would  calm  him  when 
nothing  else  could.  Sometimes,  too,  they  would 
miss  him  at  sunset,  and  find  him  alone,  drinking 
in  the  beauty  of  the  evening  sky.  “ Do  n’t  speak, 
auntie,  don’t  speak,”  he  had  called  one  evening 
when  Mrs.  Fielding  had  thus  discovered  him;  and 
he  moved  his  little  hand  and  turned  again  to  the 
rich  color  in  or  of  the  west. 

o 

The  children’s  prattle  went  on;  and  still  the 
mother  sat  at  the  window,  watching  as  it  were  a 
dark  cloud  coming  up  to  overshadow  her  darlings, 
who  were  as  yet  in  the  bright  sunshine,  all  un- 
conscious of  the  approach  of  darkness. 

“My  papa  is  going  to  take  me  to  America 
soon,”  said  Carroll,  with  one  foot  resting  on  his 
spade. 


SPRING  BLOSSOMS. 


273 


“And  my  mamma  is  going  to  take  me,” 
chimed  in  his  cousin;  “ and  in  the  winter  we  are 
to  have  apples  and  nuts  by  the  fire.” 

“I  am  to  have  a sled  and  skates,”  said  Car- 
roll.  “But,  oh,  let  us  go  in  and  rest,  Marion;  I 
am  so  tired!” 

A deathly  sickness  and  languor  had  seized  the 
little  fellow  and  he  went  with  difiSculty  into  the 
house.  His  aunt  met  him  and  he  was  lifted  on 
to  the  sofa. 

“Bring  your  chair,  Marion,  and  sit  by  us,” 
said  Mrs.  Fielding  when  Carroll’s  faint  turn  had 
passed  off,  leaving  him  weary  and  restless.  “I 
heard  you  talking  in  the  garden,  dear  children, 
about  going  to  America  and  to  grandpa’s  house.” 

“Yes,  mamma,  and  Carroll  wants  a sled  and 
some  skates.  ’ ’ 

“But  suppose,  my  little  Carroll,  that  you 
were  to  go  to  a better  country  than  America  and 
a safer,  happier  home  than  grandpa’s.” 

“What  country  is  better  than  America,  aun- 
tie?” 

“I  mean  heaven,  my  darling,  and  our  Fa- 
ther’s house  on  high.” 

“But,  auntie,”  and  the  child  lifted  his  eyes 
to  her  face  with  a frightened  expression,  “that 
means  dying.” 

“ Yes,  darling,  I know  we  call  it  dying,  but 
in  reality,  if  we  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  it  is 
only  going  into  God’s  beautiful  country,  where 

Kesn  anil  Saijiro.  J 3 


2/4 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


the  flowers  ever  bloom  and  where  all  is  beautiful, 
pure,  and  good.  My  little  Carroll  must  trust 
himself  to  the  Saviour,  and  there  he  will  never 
be  naughty  or  passionate  any  more.  He  will 
always  be  happy  and  good.” 

“Oh,  mamma,  he  go ?”  cried  Marion. 

‘ ‘ Papa  says  so,  darling,  and  he  knows.  Do  n’ t 
sob  so,  my  daughter.  If  the  Lord  Jesus,  who 
loves  little  children,  wants  to  take  Carroll,  will 
he  not  be  willing  to  go?  and  shall  we  not  be 
■willing  to  let  him  go,  darling?” 

Then  the  doctor  came  in  wdth  strong  words  of 
comfort,  and  they  talked  of  Christ  and  of  heaven 
until  he  and  they  grew  happy  in  the  prospect. 

During  the  days  that  followed  Carroll  was  the 
happiest,  brightest,  and  bravest  of  them  all.  He 
talked  cheerfully  of  his  new  home,  he  gave  his 
little  treasures  away,  he  repented  of  all  his  naughty 
ways  and  gave  himself  to  Christ  with  all  his 
heart. 

“I  should  like  to  see  Yenoske,”  he  said  one 
day;  “and,  auntie,  may  I give  him  my  little  Tes- 
tament ?” 

Yenoske  was  called  and  went  quietly  to  the 
bed.  The  sight  of  the  pale  little  face  among  the 
pillows  almost  broke  the  heart  of  the  sympathetic 
Japanese. 

“I  beg  your  pardon,  Yenoske,  for  all  the 
naughty  things  I have  done,  and  will  you  keep 
my  little  book  ?” 


SPRING  BLOSSOMS. 


275 


Dogu^  little  master — ” but  Yenoske  could 
say  no  more. 

One  day  Marion  wandered  into  the  garden, 
and  soon  Kesa,  who  thought  much  about  the 
dying  boy,  was  at  her  side. 

“ Must  Carroll  die?”  she  asked. 

“Yes,  Kesa,  papa  says  he  must.” 

“ Is  he  afraid,  Marion?” 

“ No,  Kesa,  he  is  glad.” 

“What  makes  him  glad?  My  sister  Hana  is 
always  afraid  to  die.” 

“ He  is  going  to  a beautiful  country  full  of 
flowers  and  sunshine,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  loves 
him  and  takes  care  of  him.” 

Kesa  treasured  all  this  in  her  heart  to  tell  to 
Hana.  She  was  learning  better  lessons  than  those 
ill  the  books. 

It  was  at  sunset  that  Carroll  entered  the  land 
of  everlasting  day.  He  bade  them  all  good-by, 
folded  his  little  hands,  and  quietly  went  to  sleep. 

“ He  is  safe  now,  Mary,”  said  the  doctor;  and 
in  spite  of  their  weeping  there  was  a deep  peace 
in  their  hearts,  a feeling  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was 
specially  near  and  tenderly  assuring  them  that  it 
was  well  with  their  little  one. 

The  school  children  attended  the  short  and 
simple  service  in  the  mission-house  parlor.  How 
restful  seemed  the  reclining  of  the  little  body 
comjpared  with  the  cramped  sitting  posture  of  the 
Japanese  dead;  how  peaceful  the  crossed  hands 


2j6 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


holding  the  lilies  that  Saijiro  and  Yenoske  had 
brought;  how  sweet  the  expression  on  the  little 
face ! 

Mr.  West,  the  missionary,  read  in  Japanese 
“ Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and 
forbid  them  not;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
God.” 

“Dear  friends  and  children,”  he  said  then, 
“ this  child,  whose  body  is  lying  here,  gave  him- 
self to  God,  and  He  has  taken  him  home.  Jesus, 
the  Good  Shepherd,  carries  him  in  his  arms  and 
holds  him  in  his  bosom.” 

After  a few  more  words  and  a prayer  all  sang 
in  Japanese  the  hymn  beginning, 

Jesus  loves  me!  this  I know,” 

and  soon  Carroll  was  taken  away. 

Not  long  after  Carroll’s  death  Aka,  Mitsu, 
Chiye,  and  Harukichi  joined  the  class  of  candi- 
dates for  baptism;  and  so  the  days  went  on,  and 
all  were  growing  in  knowledge. 


MUSHI. 


277 


( ( 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

“ MUSHI.” 

The  most  unpleasant  season  of  all  the  year 
had  come  in  Japan.  It  was  that  which  the  Japan- 
ese call  “ ” a time  of  heat  and  constant  rain, 

a time  when  everything  is  damp  and  mouldy  and 
every  person  is  sick  and  miserable. 

“I  cannot  take  up  my  shoes  to  put  them  on 
in  the  morning  without  finding  them  covered 
with  mould.  Nothing  can  be  aired  on  account  of 
the  constant  rains,  our  pillows  are  so  damp  and 
musty  that  we  can  scarcely  bear  to  lay  our  heads 
on  them,  and  rice  kept  for  a day  will  be  full  of 
worms.  We  have  to  kindle  great  fires  in  our  bed- 
‘ rooms  and  sitting-rooms,  every  closet  door  and 
bureau  drawer  is  left  open,  and  we  never  think  of 
making  up  a bed  until  night.”  Thus  wrote  Mrs. 
Fielding  to  a friend  in  America  one  rainy  Mon- 
day morning  during  the  season. 

Marion  was  standing  at  the  window  looking 
rather  disconsolately  at  the  falling  rain.  The  ex- 
treme heat  and  excessive  dampness  made  every 
one  feel  thoroughly  uncomfortable.  The  Sab- 
bath had  been  so  stormy  that  very  few  of  the 
girls  had  come  back  to  school,  and  Miss  Wilton 


278 


KESA  AND  SAIJIKO. 


had  begun  her  week’s  work  with  a few  boarders 
who  had  not  gone  home  on  Friday  at  all. 

“There  is  a jinrikisha,  mamma,”  said  Mari- 
on, “and  it  is  coming  here.” 

The  jinrikisha  stopped  and  Kesa  stepped  out, 
carrying  a bunch  of  red  lilies  and  a little  cage. 

“ Why,  Kesa,  did  you  come  alone  in  this  pour- 
ing rain?”  asked  Mrs.  Fielding. 

“Thanks,  Chiye  is  with  me.  I came  to  offer 
these  flowers  and  this  cage  of  fireflies  to  Marion 
san.  Please  graciously  to  accept  the  poor  gift.” 
Marion  took  them  with  thanks,  and  Kesa 
went  to  school. 

“How  sweet  she  is,  mamma,  and  I like  the 
flowers;  but  the  poor  fireflies!  I hate  to  have 
them  crowded  together  in  the  cage.  What  is  the 
reason,  mamma,  when  the  Japanese  are  so  kind 
to  insects,  that  they  will  catch  and  confine  these 
fireflies  every  year  ?’  ’ 

“That  is  a question  pretty  hard  to  answer, 
daughter.  But  I must  go  on  with  my  letter,  or  it 
will  not  be  ready  for  the  mail.” 

Marion  carried  her  cage  into  a dark  closet  and 
amused  herself  for  a while  by  sprinkling  water 
over  it;  this  caused  the  fireflies  to  emit  a bright 
lieht 'which  illuminated  the  closet.  Then  she 
made  a hole  in  the  top  of  the  cage  and  hung  it 
where  the  insects  could  crawl  out.  She  had  a 
number  of  such  gauze  cages  which  had  been  given 
her  from  time  to  time,  and  also  some,  of  exquisite 


MUSHI. 


2/9 


^ 5 


workmanship,  made  of  bamboo.  The  bamboo 
cages  had  contained  singing  crickets,  of  which 
the  Japanese  are  especially  fond,  and  which  had 
been  given  to  Marion  with  directions  how  to  feed 
them  with  cucumbers.  But  the  poor  crickets 
never  lived  very  long  in  their  pretty  cages,  and 
their  singing  soon  came  to  an  end. 

Then  Marion  was  constantly  the  recipient  of 
white  mice  and  gold-fish,  gifts  which  always  dis- 
tressed her,  as  invariably  the  fish  died  and  the 
mice  came  to  an  untimely  end. 

“I  like  flowers,  eggs,  and  pictures,  or  pretty 
lacquered  boxes  and  teacups,  but  I don’t  like 
live  presents,”  she  would  say. 

At  last,  however,  the  doctor  had  a fish-pond 
made  and  committed  it  to  the  care  of  the  Japan- 
ese servants,  who  understood  it;  and  the  fish  were 
as  contented  on  the  mission  premises  as  they  had 
been  in  the  Fujisawa  pond.  As  for  the  mice,  Ye- 
noske  was  very  fond  of  them,  and  made  them  a 
house  near  his  own  room  and  fed  them  with  his 
own  hand. 

One  morning  during  the  mushi  Yenoske 
came  into  Mrs.  Fielding’s  sitting-room  and  said, 
“ Please,  honorable  mistress,  I have  something  to 
say  to  you.” 

“Very  well,  Yenoske,  say  it  right  out  then. 
Don’t  tell  me  that  your  mother  is  sick  or  dead 
and  that  you  wish  to  leave.” 

“Please,  honorable  mistress,  my  honorable 


28o 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


parents  are  well;  but” — here  Yenoske  looked 
rather  conscious  and  foolish — “I  wish  to  return 
for  a time  to  my  own  country.” 

“Why,  Yenoske,  I shall  be  sorry  to  lose  you. 
You  have  been  a good,  faithful  servant.  And 
what  will  become  of  Saijiro?” 

Dogu^  honorable  mistress,  I shall  not  be 
away  long.  I wish  to  look  upon  the  faces  of  my 
honorable  parents;  and,  dogu^  I wish  to  get  a 
wife.” 

Mrs.  Fielding  could  not  complain  of  any  lack 
of  directness  in  the  manner  in  which  the  last  an- 
nouncement was  made.  She  smiled  and  said, 
“But  surely,  Yenoske,  you  do  not  wish  to  go  in 
all  this  rain  !”  for  all  over  Japan  the  rain  had 
been  pouring  almost  incessantly  for  three  weeks, 
and  there  was  no  immediate  prospect  of  a change. 

Dogn^  I will  wait  until  the  rain  is  over,  hon- 
orable mistress;  but  I wish  to  send  a letter  to  a 
go-between  and  have  the  honorable  bride  ready, 
so  that  I need  not  be  kept  away  very  long.” 

“But  can  you  live  with  your  wife  in  your 
small  room,  Yenoske?” 

Dogu^  it  is  a beautiful  room,  honorable  mis- 
tress, and  we  are  only  too  fortunate.” 

“Very  well,  Yenoske,  I wish  you  success  and 
much  joy.” 

So  it  happened  that  one  day,  about  two  weeks 
later,  Yenoske  bade  farewell  to  Saijiro  and  his 
friends  at  the  mission-house,  went  out  of  the  city 


MUSH  I. 


281 


( ( 


5 } 


and  travelled  along  the  great  highway  to  Oda- 
wara.  Saijiro  longed  to  go  too,  but  it  was  thought 
best  that  he  should  not,  so  he  contented  himself 
with  sending  a great  many  messages  to  his  friends 
in  Yamamidzu,  especially  to  Ko. 

Oh,  how  Yenoske’s  heart  thrilled  as  he  stood 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  staff  in  hand,  all  ready 
for  a climb!  What  long  breaths  he  took  of  the 
pure  mountain  air!  How  like  music  to  his  ears 
was  the  sound  of  the  waterfall!  How  he  sang  of 
the  trees  and  the  flowers!  The  only  thing  that 
marred  his  happiness  was  that  he  had  heard 
not  a word  from  his  go-between,  and.  knew  not 
whether  his  fair  one  had  accepted  him.  But 
still  with  swift  feet  he  climbed  the  mountain, 
often  leaving  the  highway  and  jumping  from  rock 
to  rock. 

At  last  he  came  to  the  turn  of  the  road,  and, 
looking  down  the  mountain  path,  saw  the  houses 
of  Yamamidzu.  He  ran  quickly  down  into  the 
village,  passing  the  old  shrine  of  Inari,  where  he 
had  so  often  stopped  to  pray.  He  had  not  yet  be- 
come a Christian,  but  he  had  lost  his  reverence 
for  Inari  and  his  fear  of  him,  and  could  pass  the 
fox-god  without  stopping. 

All  this  time  he  had  seen  nothing  ot  the  villa- 
gers, but  at  the  end  of  the  street  he  now  saw  the 
old  priest  coming  towards  him. 

''''  Dogu^  Yenoske,  you  are  welcome.  How  is 
the  little  master?  We  have  heard  that  the  honor- 


282 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

able  sensei  is  dead  and  finished,”  said  the  bo7t- 
sama. 

“Thanks,  the  little  master  is  well;  and  the 
honorable  teacher  is  buried  in  the  Buddhist  ceme- 
tery in  Tokio.” 

“ Does  the  little  master  go  to  school?” 

“Thanks,  yes;  he  is  learning  many  things  of 
the  honorable  foreigners  and  is  happy.  But  tell 
me  where  I can  find  Bokichi.” 

“Ah,  Bokichi  is  in  his  home,”  answered  the 
priest,  smiling;  and  Yenoske  went  on. 

But  out  from  the  temple  came  Kojiro,  running; 
he  had  heard  Yenoske’s  voice.  The  child  could 
scarcely  speak  from  excitement,  so  anxious  was 
he  to  hear  from  Saijiro. 

“ The  little  master  is  well,  Ko,”  said  Yenoske, 
taking  him  by  the  hand;  “and  he  told  me  to  tell 
you  how  the  honorable  teachers  tell  him  of  Jesus, 
who  cured  the  blind.” 

said  Kojiro,  “I  wish  they  would 
come  and  tell  me  about  him.” 

“They  have  sent  some  books,  and  some  day 
they  are  coming  themselves,”  answered  Yenoske. 

The  two  were  hurrying  up  the  street  to  the 
little  inn,  where  Yenoske  stopped  to  go  in  and 
greet  his  parents.  Then  he  hastened  to  find  Bo- 
kichi, the  go-between. 

Dogu^  the  honorable  Yen  consents  and  is 
ready,”  said  Bokichi. 

In  truth,  the  bright,  happy  Yen  of  the  monn- 


MUSHI. 


i t, 


y y 


28 


tain  was  the  one  whom  Yenoske  had  selected  as 
his  bride.  The  old  baba  was  dead,  and  Yen  had 
come  to  live  in  Yamamidzu. 

“ Thanks  for  your  kindness;  you  have  attend- 
ed to  my  business  well,”  said  Yenoske. 

In  the  evening  the  villagers,  the  blushing  Yen 
among  them,  crowded  around  Yenoske  on  the 
temple  steps.  Close  to  his  side  crept  little  Kojiro, 
eager  for  news  of  his  friend.  The  old  priest  had 
been  in  Tokio,  and  asked  something  about  the 
city.  Yenoske  told  them  of  the  foreign-built 
houses  in  the  Tori  and  of  the  foreign  cars  and  om- 
nibuses which  run  up  and  down  the  wide  streets. 

Dogu^  it  must  be  very  dangerous  to  the  Jap- 
anese. Are  children  killed?”  asked  one  of  the 
villagers. 

“I  have  never  heard  of  a child  having  been 
killed,”  answered  Yenoske.  “They  have  Jap- 
anese grooms  to  run  in  front  of  the  horses,  and 
they  lift  the  children  out  of  the  way.” 

“Tell  us  about  the  iron  road  with  iron  horses 
breathing  out  fire.  Have  you  had  a ride  on  it, 
Yenoske?  and  were  you  terribly  frightened?” 
asked  the  landlord,  Yenoske’ s father. 

“The  little  master  and  I rode  a few  miles 
once,”  answered  Yenoske. 

‘ ‘ Dogu  ! dogu  P ’ said  the  mother. 

“Very  wonderful!”  said  the  father. 

“We  went  very  fast,  and  sat  on  wooden 
benches  and  held  on  tightly.” 


284 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“Are  the  honorable  foreigners  good  to  you, 
my  son?”  asked  the  anxious  mother. 

“Very,  very  kind,  honorable  mother.  I have 
never  known  such  kind  masters.  They  tell  us 
that  the  ‘ Jesus-books  ’ teach  them  to  be  kind  and 
good  to  all.  Dogu^  I cannot  understand  the  doc- 
trines well,  but  they  are  good.” 

“Tell  us  about  the  sensei^''''  said  the  priest. 
“He  believed  In  the  Jesus-book  before  he 
died.  He  looked  happier  than  I ever  saw  him 
look  before.” 

“My  son,  be  careful.  Our  gods  may  be  very 
angry.  It  is  better  to  be  safe  and  to  reverence  the 
gods  of  your  fathers,  and  not  to  neglect  the  wor- 
ship of  your  honorable  ancestors,”  said  the  mo- 
ther. 

Dogu^  honorable  mother,  I am  not  a Chris- 
tian; I cannot  understand  the  doctrines  w-ell 
enough  yet.  But  I know  that  they  are  all  good. 
And  when  the  little  foreign  master  died  they 
said  that  he  had  gone  to  a happy  country  to  be 
with  their  God,  and  that  they  too  were  going 
there  some  day  and  should  see  him.  And  he 
gave  me  a book;”  and  Yenoske  took  the  little 
Testament  out  of  his  sleeve. 

said  the  mother,  taking  hold  of  the 
book  carefully  as  though  afraid  of  it;  “I  don’t 
know;  but  be  careful.” 

A few  days  after  this  there  was  a wedding  in 
the  village.  All  of  the  village  girls  went  and  es- 


“mushi.”  285 

corted  the  pretty  bride  with  her  newly  blackened 
teeth  to  the  inn,  where  Yenoske,  a happy  bride- 
groom, waited  with  his  parents.  Yen  was  warm- 
ly welcomed  into  the  family  and  the  usual  cere- 
monies took  place.  Then  came  a feast  of  sake^ 
sweetmeats,  and  soup  for  the  villagers. 

The  following  morning  the  happy  pair  trudged 
away,  Yenoske  carrying  the  luggage — two  bright 
paper  boxes,  each  swung  on  one  end  of  a pole — on 
liis  shoulders.  The  strong,  hearty  mountain  girl 
walked  by  his  side,  and  on  the  fourth  day  they 
came  to  Tokio. 

“Ah,  Yenoske,”  said  the  doctor,  “you  are 
back;  and  this  is  your  wife?” 

Yen  had  been  instructed  to  shake  hands  with 
the  foreigners  and  put  out  her  right  hand  tim- 
idly. 

The  missionaries  all  came  out  to  greet  them, 
and  Saijiro  ran  over  from  the  school  to  offer  his 
congratulations  and  hear  from  the  village. 

The  servants  had  a feast  and  Yen  began  house- 
keeping in  her  small  room.  A hibachi^  two  ///- 
tons^  with  coverings  and  pillows,  two  paper  boxes 
containing  the  trousseau,  some  small  utensils  and 
dishes,  and  some  pictures  completed  the  list  of 
household  goods. 

And  now  the  school  term  was  about  to  close 
and  the  girls  and  boys  were  getting  ready  for  their 
examinations. 

Chiye  had  long  since  entered  the  Third  Reader 


236 


KHSA  AND  SAIJir.O. 


class  with  her  friend  Fusa.  Kesa  had  plodded 
through  the  First  Reader  and  had  just  begun  the 
Second.  Saijiro  had  almost  finished  the  Second 
Reader,  was  able  to  write  to  his  “mother  in  Amer- 
ica,” and  had  developed  a wonderful  quickness  in 
mathematics. 

The  few  months  at  school  had  chansfed  them 
all.  New  intelligence  was  expressed  in  their  faces. 
They  had  learned  a great  deal,  thought  a great 
deal,  seen  a great  deal,  and  were  vastly  improved. 

“What  does  your  father  say,  Chiye?”  asked 
Miss  Wilton,  when  Chiye  came  to  her  one  day 
and  expressed  a desire  to  be  baptized  with  Aka 
and  IMitsu. 

“ He  said  that  we  might  receive  baptism,  sen- 
sei^ if  we  said  nothing  to  him  about  it  and  did 
not  let  him  know  just  when  it  was  done.” 

So  on  the  Sabbath  before  school  closed  Aka, 
i\Iitsu,  Chiye,  and  Harnkichi  were  admitted  into 
the  church  through  the  ordinance  of  baptism. 
Not  one  of  them  all  gave  evidence  of  a more  in- 
telligent and  loving  trust  in  Christ  than  Chiye. 
Harnkichi,  looking  on  her  sweet  face,  loved  her, 
and  purposed  in  his  heart  that  some  day,  God 
willing,  he  would  make  her  his  wife.  But  of 
that  Chiye  knew  nothing. 


IIARUKICHI  AND  CHIYH. 


2S7 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

IIARUKICHI  AND  CHIYK. 

There  vv^ere  very  few  at  the  prayer-meeting 
in  the  mission  chapel  on  the  Wednesday  evening 
after  school  closed.  The  pupils  had  scattered  for 
the  summer  vacation,  some  of  them  going  far  into 
the  country.  Harukichi  and  Saijiro  were  there, 
and  after  the  meeting  they  lingered  to  speak  to 
the  missionary. 

“So,  Harukichi,  you  leave  us  to-morrow,” 
said  Mr.  West  kindly. 

“ Yes,  sensei^  and  I ask  your  honorable  permis- 
sion for  Saijiro  to  accompany  me  as  far  as  Oji.” 

“ Certainly,  Harukichi;  and  may  God  be  with 
you  and  bless  you.” 

'''' Saionara^'^''  said  Harukichi. 

“ Saio;mra^'^  responded  Mr.  West,  with  a 
warm  grasp  of  Harukichi’s  hand. 

Harukichi  was  going  home.  Before  him  lay 
the  hard  task  of  informing  his  parents  of  his  pub- 
lic confession  of  Christ  and  his  intention  to  study 
for  the  Christian  ministry.  The  struggle  had 
been  sore,  but  was  now  over.  He  was  ready  to 
meet  his  father’s  anger,  ready  to  give  up  all  his 
earthly  hopes,  ready  even  to  bear  the  sight  of  his 
mother’s  tears. 


288 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Before  sunrise  the  next  morning-  Haru- 
kichi  and  Saijiro  were  on  their  way  out  of  the 
city.  Their  road  at  first  led  them  along  the 
river  bank.  They  passed  the  great  temple 
Asaxa,  where  Hana  had  been  taken  to  rub  the 
god  Bindzuru. 

“I  cannot  think  how  I ever  worshipped  those 
idols,’’  said  Harukichi.  “ Tast  night  when  Mr. 
West  prayed  with  me  and  begged  our  Heavenly 
Father  to  watch  over  and  protect  me,  I thought 
how  absurd  it  would  be  to  pray  thus  to  Shaka 
Sama,  We  were  always  afraid  that  the  gods  were 
angry  with  us,  and  the  idea  of  their  loving  us 
never  entered  our  heads.” 

“Yes;  my  honorable  father  spent  all  his  life  in 
trying  to  turn  away  the  anger  of  the  gods,”  an- 
swered Saijiro. 

“ I have  heard  of  your  father,  Saijiro;  he  died 
a Christian.” 

The  sun  was  just  rising  over  Tokio,  coming  up 
out  of  the  Eastern  Sea.  Some  laborers,  going  out 
to  their  daily  toil,  stopped  when  they  saw  the  sun 
and  stood  facing  it  with  clasped  hands  and  bowed 
heads.  One  man  caught  the  reflection  in  a pail 
of  water  which  he  carried,  and  stooping  over  wor- 
shipped that. 

“O  Saijiro,  I must  give  my  life  to  teaching 
them  better  things,”  said  Harukichi. 

“ But  isn’t  it  better  that  they  should  worship 
the  sun  than  those  images?”  said  Saijiro. 


A JAPANESE  TINSMITH. 


IIARUKICHI  AND  CHIYE.  289 

“They  must  go  higher  than  the  sun,  Saijiro, 
to  the  God  who  made  it.” 

Then  the  man  with  the  pail  of  water,  observ- 
ing that  they  did  not  "worship,  asked,  “Honora- 
ble masters,  how  is  it  that  you  do  not  worship  the 
sacred  luminary?” 

“We  are  Christians,  and  we  worship  one  true 
God.  He  made  the  sun,  and  we  worship  him,” 
said  Harukichi. 

The  man  shook  his  head  and  said,  “I  do  not 
understand,”  and  went  away. 

Harukichi  and  Saijiro  followed  the  path  across 
the  green,  beautiful  fields  to  Oji.  In  the  midst  of 
rice-paddies  were  every  now  and  then  clumps  of 
trees,  and  under  the  trees  thatched  farmhouses. 
The  people  were  just  beginning  to  stir.  Men  and 
women  were  performing  their  morning  ablutions 
on  the  verandas  and  by  the  brooks,  and  naked 
children  were  playing  around.  Some  jinrikisha 
men  were  getting  their  carts  dusted  and  their 
blankets  cleaned  and  aired  before  going  out  to 
seek  for  customers.  They  looked  up  anxiously 
at  Harukichi  and  Saijiro,  but  the  rich  man’s  son, 
who  had  always  been  accustomed  to  take  the 
finest  jinrikishas  and  kagos^  now  felt  that  he  must 
save  his  money,  so  he  shook  his  head  and  walked 
on. 

The  friends  walked  quickly  on,  enjoying  the 
summer  morning,  and  at  last  came  into  the  vil- 
lage. They  walked  down  its  one  street,  with  the 

Kes»  and  Sal)lro.  J Q 


290 


kp:sa  and  saijiro. 


clear  stream  on  one  side  of  them  and  the  long 
row  of  hotels  on  the  other,  never  heeding  the  in- 
vitations to  stop  and  rest  which  were  urged  upon 
them.  Reaching  the  end  of  the  village,  they  sat 
down  on  a bench  at  a tea-house  and  took  a cup 
of  tea. 

said  Harukichi,  feeling  really  sorry 
to  part  from  the  bright  boy  who  had  been  his 
comjDanion  all  through  the  winter,  “I  wish  I 
could  ask  you,  Saijiro,  to  come  and  visit  me  this 
summer;  but,  dogit ! I have  no  home;  the  honor- 
able father  will  not  receive  me,  and  the  honorable 
mother  will  be  ill  with  grief.” 

Saijiro  did  not  know  exactly  what  consolation 
to  offer.  “But  you  will  come  back  to  the  school, 
Harukichi,”  he  said  at  length. 

“Yes;  I must  find  some  work,  and  I must 
study  to  be  a Christian  teacher.  But  now  you 
must  go  back,  Saijiro,  and  I will  go  on  to  Nikko.” 
“Ah,  I have  heard  that  it  is  very  beautiful  at 
your  home,  Harukichi.” 

“Yes,  Saijiro,  Nikko  is  a beautiful  place. 
Oh,  if  you  could  see  the  trees,  the  waterfalls,  the 
flowers,  and  my  honorable  parents ! Oh,  they 
have  been  so  good  to  me,  Saijiro;  I cannot  bear 
to  displease  them!” 

“Why  do  they  hate  the  Christians  so,  Haru- 
kichi? I think  the  Christians  are  good  and  kind; 
and  what  they  tell  us  is  not  foolish,  like  the  sto- 
ries of  our  own  religion.” 


• HARUKICHI  AND  CIIIYE.  2^1 

“ I hope  the  honorable  parents  will  know  bet- 
ter some  day,  Saijiro.  But  now  good-by;  I must 
go  on  alone.” 

So  they  parted,  Saijiro  to  go  back  to  the  lone- 
ly schoolhouse  in  Tokio,  and  Harukichi  to  the 
sacred  mountains  of  Nikko. 

For  several  days  he  travelled  slowly  along  the 
great  highway.  At  night  he  stopped  at  the  hum- 
blest inns;  he  contented  himself  with  the  cheap- 
est food.  Sometimes  he  would  bathe  his  weary 
feet  in  a spring  by  the  wayside;  sometimes  he  lay 
down  to  rest  on  the  soft  moss  under  the  grand  old 
trees.  He  had  always  before  travelled  with  ser- 
vants, and  had  commanded  all  the  luxuries  possi- 
ble to  travellers  in  Japan.  He  had  gone  home  to 
receive  the  fondest,  proudest  greetings  from  father 
and  mother;  now"  he  expected  only  anger  and  tears. 
But  Harukichi  enjoyed  these  days  of  solitude  on 
the  highway.  A sw"eet  peace  filled  his  breast, 
and  as  he  went  he  often  sang  the  hymns  of  the 
church  and  read  the  loved  stories  of  the  Sa- 
viour’s life  on  earth. 

Oh,  you  in  more  favored  Christian  lands  who 
have  never  yet  had  to  leave  “house  or  brethren 
or  sisters  or  father  or  mother  or  wdfe  or  chil- 
dren or  lands”  for  Christ’s  sake  and  the  gospel’s, 
you  do  not  realize  the  blessedness  of  the  “hun- 
dred-fold” reward  wdiich  those  who  are  called  to 
such  surrender  receive  even  in  this  life. 

Going  up  the  magnificent  avenue  which  leads 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


292 

to  Nikko’s  temples,  Harukiclii  met  a friend,  and 
under  the  great  archway  they  saluted. 

“Welcome  home,  Harukichi.  The  father 
an^  mother  will  greatly  rejoice,”  said  the  friend. 

Gently  and  firmly  Harukichi  answered,  “ Kos- 
kiki,  I have  become  a Christian,  I have  been  bap- 
tized, and  I fear  there  will  be  no  rejoicings.” 

The  friend  looked  concerned,  and  said, 

‘ ‘ Dogu^  I fear  the  honorable  father  will  be  very 
angry.” 

Harukichi  bowed  and  they  passed  on,  the 
friend  going  down  the  mountain  and  Harukichi 
still  ascending  it  towards  Nikko. 

The  temples  of  Nikko  are  the  finest  of  all 
Japan.  Marvellous  are  the  gates  of  bronze,  ex- 
quisite the  gildings  and  carvings,  magnificent  the 
stone  pavements  and  the  lanterns.  In  the  sol-, 
emn  shades  priests  are  ever  attending  to  the  du- 
ties of  their  ritual,  gliding  in  and  out  in  their 
white  and  yellow  robes;  never-ceasing  prayers 
are  made,  and  incense  continually  fills  the  tem- 
ples. Harukichi  passed  them  all  by  without 
stopping  and  went  around  the  mountain-side  to 
his  own  home.  It  was  almost  dark  when  he 
reached  the  house,  and  no  one  had  observed  his 
approach. 

The  house  was  situated  in  the  midst  of  beauti- 
ful gardens.  At  one  side  a waterfall  from  the 
mountain  fell  over  the  terraced  grounds  into  a 
pond,  where  were  innumerable  gold  and  silver 


A JAPANESE  MANSION. 


HARUKICHI  AND  CHIVE. 


293 


fish.  Clumps  of  trees  were  scattered  here  and 
there,  and  all  the  summer  flowers  of  Japan  were 
blooming  in  the  gardens.  The  house  was  large 
and  arranged  with  a view  to  the  comfort  and 
pleasure  of  its  occupants.  There  were  rooms  in 
the  upper  story  affording  the  most  advantageous 
outlook  upon  the  beautiful  view  presented  in 
every  direction.  From  one  point  the  highest 
peaks  of  Nikko  were  visible,  their  tops  almost 
veiled  in  mist.  From  another  one  had  a sight  of 
the  waterfall,  from  its  start  on  the  rocky  moun- 
tain to  where  it  fell  into  the  fish-pond.  Another 
point  revealed  the  winding  road  down  the  moun- 
tain, with  trees  and  vines  and  sunny  slopes  be- 
tween. There  were  tea-houses  in  the  gardens, 
and  arbors  and  shady  retired  nooks,  into  some  of 
which  one  had  to  climb  by  means  of  steps  cut  in 
the  solid  rock.  Harukichi  stood  and  looked  on 
the  familiar  scene  for  a moment;  tears  came  into 
his  eyes  and  his  courage  suddenly  failed.  He 
turned  away  and  entered  a little  grove.  The 
last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  touched  one  spot  far 
up  in  the  tree-tops,  making  a golden  glory  in  the 
midst  of  the  darkness. 

Harukichi  knelt,  and  bowing  his  head  prayed 
thus: 

“Dear  Lord,  I am  a poor  ignorant  Japanese, 
weak  and  sorrowful.  Give  me  strength  to  tell  fa- 
ther and  mother  that  I have  learned  to  love  thee 
and  am  determined  to  serve  thee.  Soften  their 


294 


i:Ksa  and  saijiro. 


hearts  and  turn  them  unto  thee.  And  now,  O 
lyord  Jesus,  give  me  strength.” 

And  strength  was  given.  Harukichi  walked 
firmly  to  the  house.  The  father  and  mother  were 
sitting  in  the  family  room,  waiting  for  the  dinner 
to  be  served.  Harukichi  entered  and  prostrated 
himself  before  them. 

“Welcome,  my  son,”  said  the  father. 

“A  very  great  happiness,”  said  the  mother. 

“How  are  your  honorable  healths?”  asked 
Harukichi,  raising  his  head,  but  immediately 
lowerinof  it  ag:ain. 

“Thanks,  we  are  well.  And  your  honorable 
health,  my  son?” 

“Thanks,  I am  well,”  answered  Harukichi. 
Then  he  sat  up  and  waited  respectfully  to  see 
what  would  come  next. 

“You  have  come  home  now  to  remain,  my 
son,”  said  the  father.  “You  need  not  to  study 
any  more.” 

“Thanks,  no,  honorable  father;  I have  not 
come  home  to  stay.  I have  been  baptized  as  a 
Christian,  O my  father,  and  am  going  back  to 
study  to  be  a teacher  of  Christianity  to  my  people. 
Pardon  me,  O honorable  parents,  and  still  receive 
me  as  your  son.” 

Then  came  angry  expostulations  and  rebukes 
on  the  part  of  the  father  and  bitter  weeping  from 
the  mother.  She  thought  it  shameful,  this  igno- 
rant Japanese  woman,  that  her  only  son  should 


HARUKICHI  AND  CHIYE.  2Q5 

forsake  tlie  religion  of  his  fathers  and  follow  other 
teachings. 

‘ ‘ I hate  the  Christians,  ’ ’ she  said ; ‘ ‘ they  teach 
children  to  disobey  their  parents.  Oh,  iny  son,  I 
fear  the  wrath  of  the  gods.  And  will  you  no  more 
worship  at  the  ancestral  tablets,  no  more  go  up 
with  me  to  the  holy  shrine,  no  more  read  with 
me  the  holy  doctrines  of  Buddha?  Dogu!  dogiif 
dogu  The  poor  woman  rocked  to  and  fro  in  her 
agony. 

“See,”  said  the  father,  “you  are  crushing 
your  mother  with  sorrow.” 

Harukichi  had  risen  and  stood  upright. 
“Honorable  father,”  he  said,  “one  of  the  chief 
commandments  of  the  Christian  religion  is,  ‘Hon- 
or thy  father  and  thy  mother.’  But  when  the 
commands  of  God  are  different  from  those  of  our 
earthly  parents,  we  are  to  obey  God.  It  grieves 
my  heart  to  see  my  mother’s  tears,  but,  honorable, 
beloved  parents,  my  resolution  is  taken;  I am  a 
Christian  and  shall  remain  one.” 

Then  said  the  father,  “You  know  my  will. 
Go  out  from  my  house  and  come  back  no  more, 
nor  expect  anything  from  me,  until  you  repent  of 
your  evil  and  return  to  the  faith  of  your  ances^ 
tors.” 

Harukichi  bowed  and  went  out.  Some  of  the 
servants,  meeting  him,  saluted  him  with  jo}’’ ; he 
answered  them  kindly  and  passed  on  down  the 
mountain-side.  He  cared  not  for  shelter  or  re- 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


296 

fresliment,  but  throwing  himself  down  under  a 
tree  on  the  soft  moss,  slept  an  uneasy  sleep  until 
the  morninof. 

A few  days  after,  weary  and  travel-worn,  he 
stood  before  Mr.  West  in  his  study  at  Tokio. 

“So,  Harukichi,  you  have  come  back,”  said 
the  missionary. 

“Yes,  sensei^  the  honorable  father  has  driven 
me  from  his  home.  Now  I must  work,  so  that  I 
can  go  on  with  my  education.” 

The  missionary  gave  him- copying  to  do  for  the 
summer,  and  when  school  began  he  took  charge 
of  some  of  the  small  boys.  It  was  a great  change, 
but  he  bore  it  bravely,  and  the  little  ones  loved 
him. 

The  days  passed  on,  and  Chiye  and  Kesa  had 
been  nearly  two  years  in  school.  Kesa  was  now 
in  the  Third  Reader,  and  was  befrinnino:  to  under- 
stand  a little  better  and  to  take  a greater  interest 
in  her  studies.  Chiye  had  gone  through  book  af- 
ter book  in  her  eager  thirst  for  knowledge,  and 
was  now  a member  of  the  most  advanced  class  in 
the  school.  Never  had  the  devoted  teacher  en- 
joyed a class  more  than  this  one  in  Moral  Science. 
The  discussions  on  the  various  subjects  brought  up 
by  the  text,  of  right  and  wrong,  of  conscience, 
■.responsibility,  and  other  matters,  just  suited  and 
pleased  the  thoughtful  girls ; and  of  all  of  them 
Chiye  Fujisawa  was  the  brightest  and  the  most 
beloved. 


HARUKICHI  AND  CHIYE. 


297 


One  day  as  Miss  Wilton  was  passing  through 
the  hall  her  quick  ears  caught  the  sound  of  sup- 
pressed sobbing,  and  as  she  turned  around  she  dis- 
covered Chiye  weeping  bitterly  in  a corner. 

“Why,  Chiye,  what  is  the  matter?”  she  asked, 
hastening  to  the  girl. 

Dogu,  sc7isei^  I have  been  very  wicked;  I called 
Haru  a fool,  and  she  will  not  forgive  me.” 

“I  should  think  she  would  find  it  hard  to  for- 
give, Chiye.  You  must  be  careful.  It  is  well  to 
speak  out  just  what  you  think  sometimes,  instead 
of  trying  to  cover  up  unpleasant  truths,  as  the 
Japanese  do  ; but  one  must  remember  to  be  kind 
and  not  hurt  any  one’s  feelings.” 

Only  a few  evenings  after  this,  when  the  girls 
came  to  say  good  night,  the  teacher  missed  Chiye 
from  among  them. 

“Where  is  Chiye  Fujisawa?”  she  asked. 

Dogti^  she  is  very  sick;  blood  comes  from 
lier  mouth  when  she  speaks,  and  she  feels  very 
ill.”  The  doctor  was  summoned,  and  looked 
grave. 

For  days  after  that  Chiye  Fujisawa  lay  on  her 
pallet,  thus  suddenly  stricken  down  in  the  midst 
of  her  young,  strong,  vigorous  life,  never  again 
to  know  perfect  health,  always  to  be  more  or  less 
a sufferer,  but  always  cheerful,  patient,  and  lov- 
ing. 

Kesa,  in  her  own  sweet  way,  would  comfort 
Chiye,  not  by  words,  for  this  quiet  little  maiden 


KESA  AXD  SAIJIRO. 


298 

had  few  of  them,  but  by  her  presence,  never  being 
contented  to  remain  long  away  from  her  beloved 
sister.  Sometimes  ]\Iiss  Wilton  would  be  ready 
to  chide  the  ehild  for  restlessness  and  inattention 
in  school,  and  the  words  would  be  arrested  by  the 
wistful  look  in  Kesa’s  eyes. 

Will  you  take  your  book  and  sit  by  Chiye?” 
she  would  ask. 

Then  a glad  light  would  come  to  Kesa’s  eyes 
and  she  would  slip  off  to  the  dormitory.  Hour 
after  hour,  if  permitted,  she  would  stay  there,  pa- 
tient and  gentle,  never  seeming  to  weary,  never 
wanting  to  play. 

The  father  and  mother  came  and  went  as  they 
could.  Miss  Wilton  thought  Fujisawa  cold  and 
indifferent.  But  he  deeply  mourned  the  fate  of 
his  favorite  child,  and  his  heart  grew  more  hard 
and  bitter. 

Old  Kei  came  often  and  sat  with  Chiye,  and 
one  day  Meguehi  stole  into  the  room  and  sang 
low  lullabies,  such  as  the  women  sing  to  their 
sleeping  infants ; and  Chiye  listened  and  was 
soothed. 

Miss  Wilton  missed  Chiye  in  the  schoolroom. 
She  had  never  known  before  how  she  had  de- 
pended upon  her  as  a leader  among  the  girls,  how 
many  hopes  were  centred  in  her  as  a helper  in 
the  Christian  work.  She  had  always  been  bright, 
active,  and  strong.  Her  fearless  way  of  speaking 
the  truth  and  her  honest  methods  of  dealing  with 


HARUKICHI  AND  CHIYE.  299 

every  one  had  been  a relief  from  the  weak,  vacil- 
latinof  characters  of  most  of  the  other  ijirls. 

One  evening,  before  the  lamp  had  been  lighted 
in  the  sick-room,  Miss  Wilton  stole  quietly  in  and 
sat  down  by  Chive’s  side. 

murmured  the  young  sufferer. 

‘‘Did  you  know  it  was  I,  Chive?” 

“Yes;  I shall  always  know  when  you  are  with 
me.  ’ ’ 

“I  was  thinking  that  wdien  I came  over  to 
Japan  and  first  saw  the  shores  of  this  pleasant 
country,  I was  a perfect  stranger  and  knew  no  one. 
Now  how  different  it  would  be  if  I should  go  back 
to  America  and  return  here  again.  How  manv 
pleasant  anticipations  of  meeting  dear  ones  I 
should  have!  And  I think,  Chiye,  it  is  something 
like  our  looking  forward  to  the  heaven  of  which 
we  are  told.  We  already  know  some  who  are 
with  the  Lord  and  who  are  waiting  to  welcome 
us  there.” 

“Yes,  sensei;  I know  Carroll  and  Rinjiro, 
and  there  is  Saijiro’s  father.” 

“ But  best  of  all  the  Lord  Jesus,  Chiye.  Just 
as  you  felt  my  presence  when  I came  in  and  sat 
by  you  without  speaking,  so  do  we  feel  at  times 
his  nearness;  and  we  will  be  no  strangers  in  the 
land  whose  Prince  is  our  own  familiar  friend.” 
Haru  at  first  had  kept  away  from  Chiye,  but 
one  day  she  came  to  the  teacher  and  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  help  with  the  nursing. 


300 


KESA  AND  SAIJinO. 


“ Have  you  quite  forgiven  her,  Haru?”  asked 
Miss  Wilton  kindly. 

Haru’s  eyes  filled  with  tears.  “See,’’  she 
said,  holding  up  before  Miss  Wilton  a beautifully- 
embroidered  furushiki  or  kerchief,  ‘ ‘ Chiye  worked 
night  and  day  to  get  this  done  for  me;  I almost 
think  it  made  her  sick  to  work  so  hard;  and  I 
never  thanked  her.”  Haru  was  crying  bitterly 
by  this  time. 

Miss  Wilton  led  her  to  Chiye,  and  on  return- 
ing after  a time  found  her  sitting  by  Chiye’s  side, 
happy  and  at  peace. 

So,  through  the  long  days  of  sickness  and 
nights  of  pain,  a sweet,  restful  atmosphere  perva- 
ded the  sick-room  and  even  made  itself  felt  all 
over  the  mission  building. 

At  last  there  came  a day  when  Chiye  was 
taken  home.  She  begged  to  be  laid  by  Hana’s 
side;  she  had  something  to  tell  Hana. 

“Are  you  very  sick,  sister  ?”  asked  the  young- 
er girl. 

“ Yes,  Hana  darling.” 

• “Are  you  going  to  die,  as  I am  ?” 

“I  do  not  know.  But,  oh,  Hana,  I am  not 
afraid.  I should  go  into  the  country  where  Car- 
roll  is,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  would  be  with  me.” 

“ I wish  I were  not  afraid,  sister.” 

“You  need  not  be,  darling.  If  you  were  one 
of  the  lambs  you  would  not  be  afraid  to  follow  the 
shepherd,  would  you  ?” 


HARUKICHI  AND  CHIYE.  3OI 

“No,  sister;  I often  look  at  the  picture,  and 
the  shepherd’s  face  is  so  kind  and  the  country 
where  he  is  tending  his  flock  is  so  fair.” 

“ Chiye,  the  honorable  doctor  has  forbidden 
you  to  talk,”  called  the  anxious  mother. 

Hana  turned  away  and  slept;  but  she  never 
forgot  that  Chiye  was  not  afraid  to  die. 

There  came  a letter  soon  after  this  to  Fuji- 
sawa; it  was  from  the  aunt  in  Nagoya,  and  beg- 
ged a visit  from  Chiye.  Thinking  that  the 
change  might  do  her  good,  Fujisawa  consented, 
and  Chiye  was  carried  up  into  the  bracing  air  of 
the  Hakones.  After  spending  some  time  at  the 
springs,  she  was  taken  down  to  Nagoya. 

When  Chiye  went  away  Kesa  almost  made 
herself  sick  with  crying.  The  parting  with  her 
favorite  sister  was  her  first  real  sorrow.  Miss 
Wilton  noticed  her  loneliness  and  gave  her  more 
thought  and  care.  The  child  appreciated  this  at 
once,  and  soon  learned  to  love  her  teacher  with 
all  the  fervor  of  her  little  undisciplined  heart. 


303 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  DISMANTLED  SHRINE. 

It  was  Friday  afternoon.  The  week’s  work 
at  the  school  was  done,  and  the  o^irls  were  eettino- 
ready  to  go  to  their  homes.  Already  several  jin- 
rikishas  were  waiting  at  the  gates. 

“ Kesa,  can  you  come  to  me  and  hear  a let- 
ter from  Chiye?”  called  Miss  Wilton. 

Kesa  ran  quickly  to  her  teacher. 

Has  your  jinrikisha  not  yet  come?” 

“No,  sensei^''''  answered  the  child;  “please 
condescend  to  read  me  the  letter.” 

Miss  Wilton  put  her  arm  around  the  little  girl, 
drew  her  to  her  side,  and  then  read  slowly  and 
distinctly  Chiye’s  English  letter. 

“Dear  Teacher:  I love  you  very  much.  I 
hope  you  take  great  care  of  your  body  and  not  get 
sick.  I thank  you,  I am  much  better.  No  more 
bleeding  come  from  my  lungs.  I thank  God  for 
this.  I want  to  get  well  and  teach  poor  ignorant 
Japanese  the  way  of  the  true  God.  My  aunt  will 
not  believe.  She  lets  me  read  the  Bible  to  her  at 
some  time,  but  she  too  much  like  the  doctrine  of 
the  Japanese.  Pray  for  her.  She  is  very  strict 
Buddhist  woman,  like  my  mother.  Dear  teacher, 

I feel  for  my  sister  Hana.  She  is  going  to  die. 


TH^  DISMANTI.ED  SPIRIXE.  303 

and  she  does  not  know  what  she  believe,  and  she 
fear  to  pain  the  honorable  mother’s  heart  if  she 
believe  in  true  God  and  on  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
Will  you  not  pray  for  her  and  teach  her  better? 
And  I fear  for  my  little  sister  Kesa.  She  think 
not  much  of  anything.  She  very  careless  and  do 
many  wrong  things.  But  she  in  school.  I talk 
with  my  sister  Hana  before  I came  aw^ay.  I tell 
her  I not  afraid  to  die,  but  she  does  not  know 
wliere  she  is  "oiiifj. 

“Dear  teacher,  my  heart  feel  dark  and  sad 
sometimes.  But  I try  to  think  that  God  will  hear 
my  prayer.  I think  next  year  I come  home,  but 
I think  I not  see  my  sister  Hana  any  more.  Na- 
goya is  a nice  place.  IMy  aunt’s  house  near  a 
beautiful  castle.  But  it  a great  Buddhist  place. 
The  people  worship  so  much.  They  go  early  in 
the  morning  to  the  temple,  and  I can  hear  the 
bell-ringing  and  praying  in  the  temple.  Then 
my  heart  feel  sorry. 

“Dear  teacher,  I want  missionary  come  here. 
I want  to  see  all  the  girls,  but  more  than  all  I 
want  to  see  my  little  sister  Kesa.  Dear  teacher, 
I send  you  my  love  and  my  love  to  all  the  girls. 
I hope  you  write  me  soon. 

“CHIYE  FUJISAWA.” 

Kesa’s  eyes  had  filled  with  tears  while  I\Iiss 
Wilton  read  the  letter.  “I  am  going  to  try  and 
be  a good  girl,  and  to  think  more  about  what  I 
am  doing,”  she  said. 


3^4 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Just  then  she  spied  her  jinrikisha  and  old  Me- 
guchi,  and  soon  after  was  rolling  through  the 
streets  towards  the  Kudan. 

“ Hana  is  very  sick  to-day,  and  she  is  looking 
for  you;  she  has  been  wanting  you  all  day,  Ke- 
chan,”  said  Meguchi. 

So  when  Kesa  had  saluted  her  mother  she 
went  to  Hana  and  sat  down  by  the  futon  on 
which  the  sick  girl  was  lying. 

“Please  read  to  me,  Kesa,  about  the  Shep- 
herd,” said  Hana. 

Mitsu  often  read  and  talked  to  Hana.  What 
Carroll  had  said  about  the  sinless,  painless,  joy- 
ful country  to  which  he  was  going,  where  the 
Lord  Jesus  was  the  Shepherd  of  his  flock,  had 
been  talked  about  again  and  again.  Aka,  too, 
would  talk  with  Hana  and  read  to  her  from  the 
Japanese  New  Testament.  And  Hana  listened  to 
them  both.  But,  strange  to  say,  she  rather  turned 
for  help  and  comfort  to  the  little  sister,  the 
heedless,  careless  child  who,  Chiye  said,  thought 
so  little  and  did  so  many  wrong  things. 

“Have  you  learned  anything  more  about 
Jesus?”  No  one  knew  it,  but  this  was  the  ques- 
tion that  Hana  put  week  after  week  to  Kesa,  as 
she  came  home  on  PVidays.  And  Kesa  listened, 
for  Hana’s  sake  more  than  for  her  own,  to  every- 
thing that  was  said  about  the  Lord  Jesus;  and 
when  they  were  alone  she  would  tell  Hana  that 
she  had  heard  this  and  that  of  him.  He  had  said 


THE  DISMANTLED  SHRINE.  305 

that  if  a man  believed  in  him  he  should  never  die. 
He  had  raised  Lazarus  from  the  dead  and  had 
healed  the  sick  daughter  of  the  Syrophoenician 
woman.  The  stories  comforted  Hana,  and  they 
fell  like  seed  into  Kesa’s  own  heart. 

Kesa  sat  patiently  by  Hana’s  side  and  read  of 
the  Shepherd  who  gave  his  life  for  the  sheep, 
until  she  was  called  to  the  evening  meal.  It  was 
dark  and  the  candles  were  lighted.  Fujisawa 
was  away  on  some  business,  and  the  mother  was 
occupied  with  Hana,  so  Kesa  and  Mitsu  ate  their 
dinners  together. 

“A  letter  came  from  Chiye  to-day  to  the  sen^ 
said  Kesa. 

“And  how  is  Chiye?”  asked  Mitsu. 

‘ ‘ She  is  better,  and  she  sends  her  love.  How 
can  people  send  love  in  a letter,  Mitsu?” 

“Kesa,  you  ask  such  foolish  questions  some- 
times,” said  Mitsu. 

“But  the  Japanese  send  ‘compliments,  com- 
pliments,’” persisted  Kesa,  “and  the  honorable 
foreigners  send  love.  Do  you  think,  sister,  that 
the  Japanese  love  their  children  as  well  as  the 
honorable  foreicfiiers  do?” 

o 

Dogu^  Kesa,”  said  Mitsu,  not  knowing  what 
else  to  say,  and  scarcely  daring  to  meet  those  ear- 
nest eyes. 

But  Kesa  did  not  wait  for  an  answer.  “ l\Iar- 
ion’s  mother  takes  her  in  her  arms  and  kisses 
her,  and  calls  her  her  darling  and  talks  to  her; 

Kcru  Hint  SalJIro.  20 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


305 

and  they  make  gardens  together,  and  she  helps 
IMarion  with  her  dolls,  and — and — But  my  mo- 
ther never  calls  me  her  darling  nor  talks  to  me 
nor  helps  me  with  my  dolls.  Japanese  dolls  are 
not  like  American  dolls,  are  they,  sister  ? Their 
clothes  are  sewed  on  them,  and  we  don’t  play 
with  them  as  the  Ameriean  girls  do.  / should 
like  to  be  an  American  girl  and  to  have  a doll 
that  I could  love  and  a mother  who  loved  me.” 

“Kesa,”  said  IMitsu,  astonished  .at  this  out- 
burst, “you  have  had  everything  you  have  want- 
ed all  your  life,  and  it  is  a shame  to  say  that  the 
mother  does  not  love  you.” 

“Oh,  I didn’t  mean  that,”  said  Kesa. 

“And  see,”  continued  Mitsu,  “how  for  so 
many  years  the  mother  has  given  up  everything 
to  Hana.  She  never  goes  out;  for  two  years  she 
has  had  no  new  clothes;  she  gets  no  rest  at  night. 
Kesa,  how  can  you  say  that  Japanese  mothers  do 
not  love  their  children  ? You  are  an  ungrateful 
girl.” 

A dim  sense  of  not  being  understood  passed 
through  Kesa’s  heart,  but  there  the  conversation 
dropped. 

The  mother  and  daughters  spent  the  evening 
together  in  Hana’s  room,  and  at  about  ten  o’clock 
Mitsu  and  Kesa  went  to  bed.  Mrs.  Fujisawa 
busied  herself  for  a time  in  making  preparations 
for  the  night.  She  shook  up  the  pallet  and  ar- 
ranged the  pillow.  Hana  had  a comfortable  pil- 


THE  DISMANTLED  SHRINE.  307 

low  which  the  doctor’s  wife  had  sent  her,  and 
had  long  ago  discarded  the  wooden  one.  Then 
Mrs.  Fujisawa  gave  Hana  her  medicine,  and  after 
that  she  ^ot  down  in  a corner  of  the  room  to  mend 
a dress  to  be  ready  for  Kesa  in  the  morning. 
Hana  lay  quite  still  for  a time,  and  her  mother 
thought  she  was  asleep;  but  she  was  looking  up 
at  the  shrine  where  the  candles  burned  and  where 
the  flowers  filled  the  vases.  There  was  the  gilded 
image  of  Benten  Sama,  and  there  the  jolly  faces 
of  Daikoku  and  Yebisu.  There  were  little  ima- 
ages  of  other  gods  also,  and  pictures  and  scrolls. 

Hana  looked  at  them  long  and  earnestly  and 
then  called,  “Honorable  mother.” 

“Yes,  my  darling;”  and  the  mother  hastened 
to  the  pallet. 

“Honorable  mother,  I have  something  to 
ask.  ’ ’ 

“And  what  is  it,  my  child?” 

“ I want  you  to  take  away  the  images;  I can- 
not bear  to  see  them  any  more.  Mother,  mother, 
please  take  them  away.” 

Take  away  the  idols,  dismantle  the  shrine  be- 
fore which  the  mother  had  prayed  during  so  many 
3'ears  ! Surely  some  terrible  calamity  would  hap- 
pen to  her  if  she  did! 

“Oh,  mother,  mother,”  pleaded  the  girl,  who 
saw  her  hesitation,  “I  cannot  bear  to  see  them. 
I am  going  to  die,  mother,  and  I cannot  die  look- 
ing at  them.  I want  to  have  the  Lord  Jesus  with 


3o3 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


me  when  I die,  mother.  I know  he  could  come 
even  if  they  were  here;  but  oh,  mother,  please 
take  them  away.  ’ ’ 

Mrs.  Fujisawa,  trembling  and  crying,  went 
up  to  the  shrine  and  began  to  take  down  the  ima- 
ges. She  carried  them  carefully  into  an  inner 
room  and  set  them  up  in  a corner.  What  would 
the  gods  think  to  have  their  images  so  dishon- 
ored ! 

But  the  ancestral  tablets  were  left  and  the 
flowers  and  the  candles  and  the  incense-boxes. 

“Oh,  take  them  all  away,  mother,”  still 
pleaded  the  girl.  “I  cannot  worship  the  spirits 
of  our  ancestors;  they  cannot  help  me.  O mo- 
ther, I am  going  to  die,  and  I cannot  die  in  peace. 
Oh,  do  not  cry  so,  mother;  the  gods  will  not  hurt 
us;  and  I am  going  to  be  with  Carroll  and  with 
the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  Christians’  paradise.” 

With  sobs  convulsing  her  wdiole  frame  the 
poor  mother  took  away  the  flowers  and  put  out 
the  candles.  Then  she  took  from  the  altar  the 
offerings  to  the  idols  and  removed  the  altar- 
cloth. 

The  sick  girl  watched  her  with  eager  eyes 
until  it  was  all  over  and  there  was  nothing  left, 
not  even  the  boards  of  the  altar,  to  mark  the 
place  of  worship.  Then  the  books  were  put 
away,  the  books  which  IMrs.  Fujisawa  had  read 
so  often,  and  in  their  place  were  laid  some  copies 
of  the  Gospels. 


THE  DISMAXTEED  SIIRIXE.  309 

“Now,  honorable  mother,  come  and  lie  down 
by  me.” 

Mrs.  Fujisawa  laid  her  pallet  down  by  Hana’s, 
and  the  girl  put  her  arm  around  her.  “ Dear  mo- 
ther,” she  said,  “we  have  prayed  to  them  so 
many  years  and  they  have  done  us  no  good.  Now 
I have  peace;  I believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  he 
has  forgiven  my  sins.  Will  the  honorable  father 
allow  me  to  be  baptized?” 

said  the  poor  puzzled  mother,  who 
felt  as  if  everything  was  sliding  away  from  her, 
“ I do  not  know.” 

“Oh,  mother,  I can  go  to  sleep  now;  I have 
peace.  ’ ’ 

They  were  the  last  words  that  Hana  uttered. 
When  the  morning  came  the  poor  suffering  life 
on  earth  was  over  and  Hana  had  gone  away. 

Miss  Wilton,  sitting  by  her  window,  saw  Kesa 
coming  in  a jinrikisha  with  a servant.  She  has- 
tened to  meet  her  and  drew  the  sobbing  child  into 
the  house. 

“ My  sister  Hana  is  dead;  she  died  last  night. 
But  oh,  before  she  died  she  had  all  the  idols 
taken  away,  and  she  believed  in  the  true  God!” 

“I  am  glad,  Kesa.  Her  pain  is  over.  Wait 
and  I will  go  with  you  to  your  house.” 

Miss  Wilton,  sitting  by  the  sorrowing  mother, 
heard  with  tears  in  her  eyes  the  story  of  Hana’s 
last  evening  upon  earth.  She  tried  to  comfort 
the  mother  and  to  lead  her  also  to  the  Shepherd 


310  ' KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

ill  wliom  at  last  her  suffering  child  had  trusted; 
but  her  mind  seemed  singularly  darkened,  and 
the  teacher  on  leaving  her  felt  discouraged  and 
sad,  not  knowing  what  a deep  impression  her  ten- 
der sympathy  had  made  in  the  heathen  woman’s 
heart. 

Kesa  sat  beside  her  mother,  holding  her  hand, 
and  Mitsu  and  Aka  were  in  the  room.  All  strove 
to  lead  Mrs.  Fujisawa  to  some  comfort.  But  “I 
GO  not  know;  I do  not  know,”  was  still  her  cry. 

Soon  old  Kei  came  to  pour  out  her  tears.  How 
changed  the  home  was ! It  seemed  only  a few 
days  to  Kei  since  it  was  full  of  merry,  laughing 
children.  Tama  had  long  since  gone  to  her 
northern  home  and  had  a little  family  growing 
up  around  her,  Chiye  was  away  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Hakones,  Hana  was  dead,  and  Kesa  was 
almost  all  the  time  away  at  school;  so  there  was 
left  only  the  quiet,  saddened  Mitsu. 

Fujisawa  was  summoned  to  his  home  and 
reached  it  late  in  the  afternoon.  Fife  seemed  too 
much  of  a disappointment  to  him  in  respect  to 
his  children.  Tama,  to  be  sure,  had  done  just  as 
he  had  willed,  and  was  prosperous  and  happy; 
but  after  all  he  had  an  idea  that  her  life  did  not 
amount  to  much.  IMitsu  was  a poor,  weak  crea- 
ture, sad  and  suffering,  and  a Christian.  His  pet 
and  pride,  Chiye,  would  never  make  the  scholar 
he  had  hoped;  his  plans  for  her  were  frustrated. 
Plana  was  lying  dead  in  the  beautiful  home.  The 


THE  dismantled  shrine.  31 1 

I 

bright  chrysantliemums  were  blooming  in  vain 
for  her.  And  Kesa?  Well,  she  was  still  a child; 
she  should  do  what  he  pleased;  she  should  not  be 
allowed  to  act  as  the  others  had  done — forsake  her 
mother’s  religion  and  follow  strange  doctrines. 
She  was  too  young  yet,  he  thought,  to  be  much 
influenced  by  the  Christians.  He  would  take  her 
away  from  school  soon  and  marry  her  into  some 
high  family,  for  she  was  ft  to  be  a princess,  he 
said  to  himself,  and  his  heart  filled  with  pride. 
He  knew  something  of  the  admiration  that  this 
beautiful  Japanese  child  excited  among  foreign- 
ers, and  yet  he  had  hardened  his  heart  into  almost 
hating  her.  Grief  and  disappointment  had  no 
softening  effect  upon  this  father’s  heart.  He  was 
growing  cold  and  bitter,  and  all  his  hardness  and 
coldness  and  bitterness  seemed  likely  to  find  a 
vent  in  tyrannizing  over  his  youngest  child. 

Kesa  meantime  was  sitting  disconsolate,  and 
with  vague  wondering  thoughts  in  her  heart,  by 
the  side  of  the  fish-pond,  bright  sunshine  over 
her  and  bright  flowers  all  around  her.  Oh,  if 
Chiye  were  only  at  home  ! she  thought.  She 
and  Chiye  could  talk  together.  If  her  mother 
were  only  like  Marion’s  mother  and  her  father 
like -Marion’s  father!  Where  was  the  “happy 
land”  to  which  Carroll  and  Hana  had  gone? 
And  the  Shepherd  of  whom  they  spoke  so  confi- 
dently, did  he  care  for  her  ? Kesa  sobbed  in  her 
perplexity  and  did  not  hear  a soft  footstep  behind 


313 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


her,  and  did  not  know  that  her  teacher  was  near 
her,  until  she  found  herself  taken  into  those  lov- 
ing arms  and  tenderly  soothed  and  comforted. 

“My  little  Kesa,”  said  Miss  Wilton,  “why 
do  you  cry  so?  Is  it  because  Hana  is  dead?  Yon 
know  how  great  her  pain  was  and  how  hard  it 
was  to  bear,  and  are  you  sorry  because  she  has 
gone  to  the  country  where  there  is  no  pain  and 
where  no  one  says,  ‘ I am  sick  ^ ?’  ’ 

“No,  sensei^'^'^  sobbed  the  child,  “I  was  cry- 
ing for  myself.  It  is  so  lonely.” 

“But  I am  here,  my  little  Kesa,  and  God 
loves  you.” 

Oh,  the  wistful,  questioning  look  in  those  dark 
eyes!  Miss  Wilton’s  heart  yearned  in  unexpressed 
tenderness  over  the  child,  and  she  seemed  to  come 
under  the  shadow  of  the  cloud  that  was  overhang- 
ing Kesa  herself.  “Kesa,”  she  said,  “I  must 
go.  But  remember,  dear,  that  I love  you,  and 
above  all,  that  our  Heavenly  Father  loves  you.” 
Kesa  heard  the  jinrikisha  wheels  as  she  was 
carried  away.  But  the  little  girl  felt  comforted 
and  went  and  sat  down  quietly  by  her  mother’s 
side. 

Hana’s  body  was  given  up  to  the  Buddhist 
priests  and  buried  near  Rinjiro  in  the  old  Buddh- 
ist cemetery,  under  the  same  trees  that  overshad- 
owed Rinjiro’s  grave.  Aka  and  Mitsu  often  went 
to  carry  flowers  there  and  sometimes  Kesa  went 
with  them. 


THE  DISMANTLED  SHRINE.  313 

Kei  for  more  than  a year  had  been  an  active 
Bible-woman  in  the  employ  of  the  missionaries. 
She  seemed  absolutely  untiring  in  her  work,  com- 
ing home  after  a long  day’s  tramp  over  the  city 
as  fresh  as  when  she  started,  eager  to  tell  where 
she  had  been  and  to  whom  she  had  spoken. 
Neighborhood  meetings  for  prayer  and  Bible- 
reading  were  often  conducted  by  Kei  under  the 
superintendence  of  one  of  the  missionaries. 

Once  I^Iitsu  went  with  Aka  to  one  of  these 
meetings  and  prayed  with  the  women.  Fujisawa 
heard  of  it  and  sternly  forbade  her  doing  so  any 
more.  “I  will  not  have  a daughter  of  mine  do- 
ing such  foolish  things,”  he  said.  And  Aka’s 
husband,  too,  was  angry. 

The  two  friends  wandered  in  sadness  to  the 
cemetery  the  next  day. 

“What  can  we  do.  Aka?”  said  IMitsu  sorrow- 
fully. “The  teachers  tell  us  that  we  shofild 
work  now  that  we  are  Christians,  and  we  want  to 
teach  our  people.” 

“Well,”  said  Aka,  “I  have  thought  that  we 
can  do  much  by  talking  quietly  to  any  who  come 
to  us.  Baba  listens  now.  She  is  too  old  and  fee- 
ble to  leave  her  bed,  and  sometimes  when  no  one 
else  is  there  she  will  let  me  read  one  of  the  Bible 
stories.  And  there  are  other  women  in  yashiki 
who  listen,  and  a man  who  says  he  believes.” 

So  Aka  and  IMitsu  spoke  many  a word  cf 
peace  that  winter  in  a quiet  way. 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


3H 

Kesa  attended  school  regularly,  and  Chiye 
lived  rather  a lonely  life  in  Nagoya,  longing  for 
school  and  home. 

One  evening  after  school  had  closed  and  when 
the  missionaries  were  getting  ready  for  a summer 
trip  to  the  Hakones,  Saijiro  appeared  before  the 
doctor  looking  as  though  he  wanted  something. 

“Well,  my  boy,”  said  the  doctor. 

“Oh,  please,  sensei^  may  I not  go  with  you? 
I will  go  as  a servant,  only  I want  to  see  my  old 
home  and  the  people.  But,  dear  teacher,  I want 
more  than  all  that  you  should  talk  to  the  people 
about  the  true  God;  and  I want  to  tell  Ko  about 
how  the  Lord  Jesus  opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind, 
and  that  he’ll  be  able  to  see  in  heaven.” 


MISSIONARIES  ON  THE  IIAKONES.  315 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

MISSIONARIES  ON  THE  HAKONES. 

“ Aitchu,  Aitchu,  Aitchii, 

Aitchu,  Aitchu,  Aitchu.” 

THIS  nnmeaning  musical  refrain  in  a minor 
key  sang  the  eoolies  carrying  kagos  up  the  steep 
road  which  leads  to  Hakone.  It  was  a summer 
morning,  and  the  missionaries,  after  an  uncom- 
fortable night  amid  the  heat,  dust,  and  noise  of 
Odawara,  were  charmed  with  the  mountain  soli- 
tudes, the  tumbling  waterfalls,  the  great  trees, 
and  the  birds  and  flowers.  Beside  the  kagos 
which  contained  the  ladies  of  the  party  walked 
and  leaped  Saijiro.  He  carried  a long  staff  and 
jumped  from  rock  to  rock,  growing  more  and 
more  excited  as  he  neared  Yamamidzu.  The 
doctor  and  Mr.  West  were  also  walking. 

“ I have  just  been  thinking,”  said  Mrs.  Field- 
ing to  her  husband,  “of  the  universality  of  inartic- 
ulate sounds.  The  bark  of  a dog,  the  neigh  of  a 
horse,  the  moo  of  a cow,  are  unmistakable  wher- 
ever you  may  go.  The  leader  of  that  grand  orches- 
tra of  birds  would  have  no  difficulty  in  making 
himself  understood  in  any  land.  That  crow  who 
seems  to  be  delivering  a speech  on  top  of  the 
farmhouse  yonder  might  fly  to  England  or  India, 


3i6 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


make  the  same  address,  and  be  equally  well  under- 
stood. And  a cat  concert  here  is  fully  as  good  as 
one  in  our  own  land.” 

“Yes,”  answered  the  doctor,  “the  animals 
certainly  were  not  included  in  the  confusion  of 
tongues  at  the  tower  of  Babel.  And  I love  to  lis- 
ten to  the  great  voices  of  nature  and  remember 
that  they  are  the  same  as  at  home.  The  sea 
thunders  along  the  coast  here  just  as  it  does  on 
the  other  side;  the  wind  whispers  to  the  trees  in 
the  same  tones;  the  rain  has  the  same  patter;  the 
waterfall  makes  the  same  sweet  music.  Sun, 
moon,  and  stars  tell  of  the  glory  of  God  here  just 
as  they  do  at  home.  We  are  not  strangers  in  a 
strange  land.  "It  is  our  Father’s  country  and  we 
are  always  at  home.” 

“I  never  realized  before  coming  to  Japan  how 
little  we  need  speech  for  the  bare  necessities  of 
life,”  said  Mr.  West,  who  had  joined  them  and 
was  listening  to  the  conversation.  “We  can 
make  known  our  animal  wants  without  it.  We 
can  even  express  sympathy,  love,  hatred,  and  a 
thousand  other  things  without  it.  But,  oh!  what 
a gift  from  our  Heavenly  Father  it  is,  and  how 
thankful  we  should  be  for  our  own  rich  language, 
through  which  every  sentiment  of  the  human 
heart  can  be  made  known.  Even  on  the  printed 
page  we  can  read  words  that  thrill  and  burn,  that 
bring  tears  from  the  eyes  and  laughter  from  the 
lips.” 


MISSIONARIES  ON  THE  HAKONES.  317 

There  burst  upon  the  ears  of  the  talkers  a 
strain  of  sweet  music  and  words  of  a Christian 
hymn.  The  ladies  behind  them  were  singing  in 
their  kagos.  In  a moment  all  had  joined — Mrs. 
Fielding  with  a rich  alto,  the  doctor  with  his 
deep  bass,  and  Mr.  West  with  a fine  tenor.  Sweet 
and  clear,  loud  and  strong,  sounded  the  words  in 
the  solitude. 

“ Oh,  how  beautiful  their  feet  upon  the  mountains 
The  tidings  of  peace  who  bring 
To  the  nations  of  the  earth  who  sit  in  darkness 
And  tell  them  of  Zion’s  King!” 

The  coolies  stopped  their  wild  chanting  to  lis- 
ten and  kept  step  to  the  rhythm  of  the  hymn. 
Then  followed  hymn  after  hymn,  and  at  last  the 
coolies  begged  to  be  taught  one.  So  they  learned 
one  verse  of  the  little  hymn,  “Jesus  loves  me,” 
and  sang  it  very  well  by  the  time  they  reached 
the  turn  in  the  road  which  leads  down  to  Yama- 
midzu. 

“Oh,  sensei^''^  said  Saijiro,  with  eager  en- 
treaty in  his  eyes,  “may  I run  down  the  short 
path  to  the  cottage  ?” 

“Go,  Saijiro,”  said  the  doctor,  smiling  at  his 
excitement. 

Down  bounded  Saijiro  and  soon  entered  the 
village.  It  looked  just  as  it  did  when  he  left  it. 
There  was  the  temple,  and  there  the  swinging 
bridge,  and  over  there  the  little  house,  unoccu- 
pied now  and  all  crumbling  into  ruins.  He  turned 


3i8  kp:sa  and  saijiro. 

into  the  temple  grounds  and  almost  ran  over  the 
old  priest. 

Dogu!  It  is  Saijiro,  the  young  master,” 
said  the  priest.  ” How  is  your  honorable  health, 
and  how  are  the  honorable  ladies?” 

Saijiro  in  his  eagerness  to  see  Ko  had  forgot- 
ten that  his  first  duty  in  Yamamidzu  was  to  go  to 
the  inn  and  bid  Yenoske’s  parents  prepare  for  the 
travellers. 

The  priest’s  inquiry  reminded  him,  and  with 
a bow  and  “Thanks”  and  “Tell  Ko  to  come  to 
the  hotel,”  he  sprang  lightly  on  up  the  street  into 
the  courtyard  of  the  inn  and  stood  before  Yenos- 
ke’s mother.  The  old  lady  almost  overwhelmed 
him  in  her  delight.  “ The  little  master,  the  little 
master  has  come ! A great  boy ! A fine  young 
gentleman  ! A great  happiness  ! An  unexpected 
pleasure  ! A very,  very  great  happiness  !” 

In  came  Yenoske’s  father,  in  gathered  the 
people  who  had  seen  the  boy  coming  up  the 
street,  and  who  hastened  to  get  news  from  Tokio. 

Dogu ! the  honorable  teachers,  four  ladies 
and  two  gentlemen,  are  on  their  way  down  the 
mountain  and  will  stop  here  to-night,”  said  Sai- 
jiro. 

Then  the  old  lady  was  at  her  wit’s  end  and 
really  frightened.  “ But  the  food  and  the  beds  for 
the  honorable  foreigners!”  she  gasped  when  she 
had  recovered  a little  from  her  first  astonishment. 

“ Oh,”  said  Saijiro,  “ they  have  some  bedding 


A JAPANESE  BARBER. 


MISSIONARIES  ON  THE  HAKONES.  - 319 

and  some  food.  Only  give  them  room  and  they 
■will  be  all  right.  But  hasten,  honorable  mother, 
for  they  come  soon.” 

Oh,  the  excitement  of  the  Yamamidzu  people! 
What  bustle  there  was  in  the  little  inn  I Such  a 
pushing  of  slides  and  sweeping  of  floors  and  sha- 
king of futons  and  polishing  of  \vood-work  I The 
hibachis  were  filled  with  fresh  coals  and  rice  was 
put  on  to  boil.  Children  were  sent  all  over  the 
neighborhood  to  look  for  fresh  eggs.  Saijiro’s 
senseis  had  come  from  Tokio,  the  people  who  had 
been  so  kind  to  him  and  to  Yenoske ! All  the 
village  turned  out  to  do  them  honor,  real  grati- 
tude mingling  with  the  curiosity  that  was  felt. 

Yenoske’s  father,  the  landlord,  hastened  to 
the  barber’s  to  have  his  hair  neatly  dressed,  then 
donned  his  best  coat  and  went  to  the  entrance  of 
the  villao:e  to  welcome  the  Qruests.  All  of  the 
men,  women,  boys,  girls,  and  babies  were  there, 
with  smiling  Saijiro  and  happy  Ko  at  their  head. 

When  the  missionaries  appeared,  coming  down 
the  mountain  into  Yamamidzu,  low  bowed  the 
landlord.  “Welcome,  truly  welcome,  a very 
great  welcome.  Thanks  for  your  kindness  to  my 
son.  Truly,  it  is  wonderful,  truly!  I never  knew 
anything  like  it  before.  Come  to  my  humble 
residence.  Come  and  partake  of  rest  and  refresh- 
ment.” 

Then  low  bowed  the  people  and  all  the  chil- 
dren as  the  travellers  passed.  There  were  five 


320 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


kagos^  one  for  each  lady,  ]\Irs.  Fielding,  IMarion, 
and  ]\Iiss  Wilton,  and  two  others  who  had  joined 
the  party.  And  there  were  coolies  carrying  bag- 
gage and  the  two  gentlemen  walking. 

At  the  hotel  were  Yenoske’s  mother  and  sev- 
eral other  old  babas  and  jisans^  all  smiling,  bright, 
and  happy,  to  welcome  Yenoske’s  master  and  mis- 
tress and  Saijiro’s  teachers.  And  when  the  trav- 
ellers were  seated  on  the  mats  in  the  best  room  in 
came  the  priests  and  teacher  to  pay  their  re- 
spects. And  then  arrived  the  children  who  had 
been  sent  for  eggs,  and  who  tendered  them  with 
compliments  as  presents;  and  some  brought  flow- 
ers and  some  carried  grasses  and  leaves.  The 
old  mother’s  attention  was  divided  between  pre- 
paring rice  and  tea  for  her  guests,  thanking  them 
for  their  kindness  to  Yenoske,  and  apologizing 
for  her  poor  accommodations.  In  truth,  the  hotel 
did  not  afford  many  comforts  for  tired  foreigners. 
There  were  no  chairs,  no  tables,  no  beds,  little 
food,  and  plenty  of  fleas  and  flies. 

But  the  scenery  made  up  for  all  deficiencies  in 
these  respects.  The  travellers  were  seated  almost 
over  the  rushing,  rapid  river,  and  two  miles  from 
them  towered  the  mountains,  still  holding  lilies 
like  those  that  Saijiro  had  loved  so  from  his  baby- 
hood. 

“ So,  Saijiro,  this  is  your  home,”  said  the  doc- 
tor, “and  this  is  Kojiro.  Come  to  me,  iny  boy, 
and  let  me  see  those  eyes.  ’ ’ 


MISSIONARIES  ON  TPIK  HAKONES.  32 1 

Kojiro  lifted  his  sightless  eyes  to  the  doctor, 
who  looked  at  them  long  and  earnestly, 

“Oh,  honorable  doctor,”  said  the  boy,  “ Sai- 
jiro  has  told  me  how  the  Jesus  of  whom  you  teach 
could  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind  by  a touch.  Can 
yott.  do  so,  honorable  doctor  ?” 

“No,  my  boy,”  said  the  doctor;  “the  Lord 
Jesus  could  do  that  because  he  was  God  and  could 
do  all  things.  But  I think,  if  you  could  go  with 
me  to  Tokio  and  submit  to  some  pain,  I might, 
with  the  blessing  of  the  Saviour,  make  you  see.” 
Oh,  the  joy  that  filled  Ko’s  heart ! 

“I  will  see  your  parents,  Kojiro,”  said  the 
doctor.  “You  must  be  patient.” 

And  now  dinner  was  served,  and  how  fortu- 
nate were  those  who  were  able  to  see  the  honora- 
ble foreigners  eat ! Knives,  forks,  and  spoons ! 
liow  could  they  use  such  things  instead  of  simple 
chopsticks  ? And  the  bread  ! A piece  was  hand- 
ed to  the  observers  for  examination.  What  a cu- 
riosity it  was!  And  butter!  Oh,  horrible  to  put 
such  grease  on  the  honorable  bread  ! But  the 
honorable  foreigners  could  make  way  with  rice 
and  eggs;  and  right  hungry  were  they  after  their 
morning  on  the  mountain;  so  they  did  full  justice 
to  the  meal,  which  was  certainly  the  best  the 
place  could  afford. 

Next  came  a delightful  walk,  with  Saijiro  for 
a guide,  down  the  street  to  the  temple,  and  down 
the  steep  descent  to  the  stream.  How  beautiful 

21 


Keva  and  Sai)lio. 


k)-'- 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


was  tlie  waterfall,  how  sweet  and  powerful  the  fra- 
grance of  the  flowers  ! But  nothing  could  tempt 
the  ladies  across  the  little  swin^inof  bridge:  so 
Saijiro  and  the  two  gentlemen  went  over  and  stood 
in  the  little  decayed  house  where  Kochi  had  lived 
and  died,  where  Saijiro  spent  the  happy  days  of 
his  earlier  life,  and  where  the  teacher  had  bowed 
in  prayer  and  suffered  such  penance  for  so  many 
years  and  from  which  he  had  gone  out  never  to 
return.  There  was  Inari’s  deserted  shrine.  No 
tapers  burned  there  now,  no  flowers  bloomed  on 
the  altar;  but  the  mountain  was  unchanged  still, 
and  Saijiro  leaned  his  head  against  its  hoary  side 
and  felt  like  a child  returning  to  his  father  or  as 
one  who  has  found  again  a faithful  friend. 

“Where  can  we  meet  the  people  this  evening 
to  talk?”  asked  Mr.  West  as  the  early  evening 
shadows  began  to  darken  around  them. 

“It  is  pleasanter  outside,”  said  Saijiro,  “by 
the  river-bank.” 

So  when  the  moon  came  up  and  all  Yama- 
inidzu  lay  glorifled  under  its  beams  a little  com- 
pany gathered  on  the  river-bank.  The  priests, 
with  yellow  robes  and  shaven  heads,  stood  a little 
apart  from  the  rest.  The  school  teacher  had 
come  as  near  to  the  missionaries  as  possible. 
Children  with  babies  on  their  backs  and  children 
without  babies  pressed  a little  timidly  near  their 
mothers.  Venerable  old  men  and  women  stood 
or  reclined  at  full  length  on’ the  ground.  Saijiro, 


MISSIONARIES  ON  THE  HAKONES.  323 

with  Ko  ever  at  his  side,  stayed  near  the  doctor; 
and  in  strong  contrast  to  the  Japanese  appeared 
the  missionary  ladies  and  Marion. 

‘‘Dear  friends,”  said  Mr.  West,  “we  want  to 
have  a little  talk  this  evening.  I want  you  to 
feel  free,  and  to  ask  questions  if  you  will.  Saijiro 
has  begged  us  to  come  and  see  you  and  to  stop 
over  this  night  on  our  way  up  to  Hakone;  and 
we  are  glad,  very  glad,  to  do  so,  and  thank  you 
for  your  kind  welcome  to  us.” 

The  people  all  bowed. 

“ We  were  glad  that  the  teacher  Yetaro  came 
to  us  before  he  died,  to  hear  of  the  true  God  and 
of  forgiveness  through  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  You 
all  know  how  sorrowful  Yetaro  was  because  of  the 
great  crime  he  had  committed,  and  how  for  many 
years  he  sought  forgiveness  and  peace  from  the 
Japanese  gods,  but  found  none.  At  last  he  came 
to  us  and  heard  of  the  Lord  Jesus  who  died  upon 
the  cross  to  save  sinners.  He  believed  in  him 
and  found  peace.  We  are  glad  too,  friends,  to 
have  Saijiro  with  us.  God,  our  true  God,  has 
raised  up  for  him  a mother  in  America,  who  loves 
him  and  is  going  to  educate  him  in  the  place  of 
her  own  dead  boy  who  three  years  ago  went  home 
to  heaven.  We  are  glad,  too,  to  have  our  faithful 
servant  -Yenoske  and  his  wife  Yen  from  your 
mountain  home;  and  we  thank  you  again  for  your 
kind  welcome.  And  now  we  want  you  to  let  us 
take  the  boy  Ko,  who  has  never  yet  seen  the  light 


3-4 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


cf  the  suu  nor  looked  upon  the  flowers  he  loves 
so  much,  and  with  the  blessing  of  our  God  we 
want  to  try  to  make  him  see.” 

Ko’s  father  and  mother  called  out  their  thanks 
and  all  the  people  bowed. 

“Now,  friends,”  said  Mr.  West,  “we  would 
like  to  sing  some  of  our  Christian  hymns  and 
read  to  you  a few  words  of  our  Christian  Book 
and  pray  to  our  God  before  we  go  to  rest.  These 
words  will  not  hurt  you,  but  you  can  think  upon 
them,  and  we  hope  they  will  sink  into  your  heart. 
Dear  friends,  are  you  not  sometimes  sorrowful  ? 
Our  Lord  Jesus  says  that  any  one  who  is  sad  may 
come  unto  him  and  rest.  Are  }^ou  not  sometimes 
cold  and  hungry  and  miserable?  Do  not  your 
wrong  thoughts  and  words  and  acts  fill  your  life 
with  troubles?  Our  Book  tells  us  of  a blessed 
country  to  which  we  shall  go  when  we  die,  if  we 
believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  obey  the 
commandments  of  our  God,  where  we  shall  never 
more  hunger  or  thirst,  where  no  cold,  piercing 
wind  ever  blows,  and  where  the  sun  shall  no  more 
scorch  us.  Do  not  sickness  and  pain  come  to  you? 
and  do  not  your  loved  ones  go  away  into  the  shad- 
ows of  the  tomb  and  leave  you  here  weeping?  I 
know  they  do,  for  Saijiro’s  mother  and  father  have 
gone,  and  so  has  old  Baba  who  cared  for  Saijiro 
in  his  childhood,  and  so  have  many  of  your  little 
babies.  Our  Book  tells  us  of  a land  where  God 
gathers  all  those  -whose  sins  are  forgiven  -for 


MISSIONARIES  ON  THE  IIAKONES. 


3^5 


Christ’s  sake,  and  where  we  shall  always  be  happy 
and  with  the  Lord.  Dear  friends,  listen  to  some 
of  our  Christian  hymns,  and  do  not  be  afraid.” 

Then  the  missionaries  sang  to  the  people;  and 
the  people  listened,  and  at  last  tried  to  learn  the 
words  of  “Jesus  loves  me”  and  “There  is  a hap- 
py land.”  And  then  Mr.  West  read  the  story  of 
blind  Bartimeus,  and  the  people  thought  it  won- 
derful. Then  followed  a short,  simple  explana- 
tion of  the  Christian  doctrine  and  a prayer  com- 
mending these  sheep  scattered  thus  upon  the  moun- 
tains to  the  Good  Shepherd’s  care.  The  people 
listened  attentively,  and  many  thanks  were  ex- 
pressed to  the  missionaries,  who  went  back  to  the 
inn. 

“ This  is  the  hardest  part  of  travelling  in  Jap- 
an,” said  Miss  Wilton  to  Marion,  as  they  were 
shut  up  in  the  close  room  prepared  for  the  night; 
“ I hate  the  odor  of  those  green  curtains,  and  never 
did  like  to  sleep  on  the  floor.” 

The  missionaries  had  their  own  pillows,  which 
they  used  as  jinrikisha  cushions  by  day.  They 
spread  sheets  over  their  futons  and  crept  under 
the  curtains;  but  with  heat  and  fleas  the  night 
passed  miserably  enough,  to  the  older  people  at 
least.  Early  in  the  morning  they  were  up  and 
off,  going  the  roundabout  way  up  the  mountain 
<to  Hakone.  Saijiro  remained  to  spend  a few  days 
in  Yamamidzu  and  to  help  prepare  Kojiro  for  the 
journey  to. Tokio.  - . ^ 


326 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO.  ’ 


The  missionaries  passed  the  deserted  tea-house 
in  the  recess  of  the  rock  where  Yen  and  her  grand- 
mother had  dispensed  tea  and  sweetmeats  to  trav- 
ellers. They  visited  the  hot  springs  and  saw  the 
miserable  wretches  who  were  gathered  there. 

“How  dreadful  it  all  is!”  said  the  doctor’s 
wife  one  day  as  they  had  turned,  heart-sick  and 
weary,  from  the  sight  of  the  terrible  ravages  of 
disease  and  evidences  of  depravity  which  were 
exposed  on  every  side.  “ I do  shrink  from  such 
close  contact  with  sin  and  misery.  Richard, 
sometimes  I wonder  how  you  can  go  about  so 
among  these  people,  and  not  dread  to  minister  to 
their  foul  bodies  and  their  yet  fouler  souls.  I 
know  that  it  is  the  Lord  Jesus  who  helps  you.  It 
is  his  vSpirit  within  you  that  gives  you  this  love 
and  grace  and  patience.” 

The  missionaries  spent  a lovely  summer  day 
in  Hakone  by  the  side  of  the  lake.  Several  times 
during  the  day  a crowd  gathered  around  them  to 
be  taught,  or  some  man  would  come  alone  and  ask 
to  be  instructed. 

“I  am  so  glad  to  know  these  mountains  bet- 
ter,” said  one  of  the  stranger  missionary  ladies  ; 
” I have  looked  at  them  so  often  from  my  house 
- ill  Tokio.  Now  I know  what  they  contain — the 
••waterfalls,  the  mountain  streams,  the  sunny  slopes, 
the ’deep  ra'vines,  and  above  all,  Hakone  and  its 
lake”’ 

“Yes,”  said  Miss  Wilton,  “this  lake  always 


mountain  girls. 


MISSIONARIES  ON  TilK  HAKONKS.  327 

reminds  me  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  And  those 
workmen  making  ready  the  way  for  the  emperor, 
did  they  not  remind  you  of  the  prophecy,  ‘ Be- 
hold, I will  send  my  messenger,  and  he  shall  pre- 
pare the  way  before  me  ’ ?” 

Ko  was  never  tired  of  hearing  Saijiro  tell  and 
read  the  stories  of  the  Saviour’s  healing  of  the 
blind. 

“Oh,  Saichan,”  he  said  one  day,  “have  the 
Christians  an  image  of  him,  and  can  I pass  my 
hand  over  his  face?” 

“They  have  no  image  of  their  God,”  said  Sai- 
jiro. “ They  worship  him  by  faith;  they  believe 
in  him.” 

One  day,  after  the  missionaries  had  returned 
to  their  home  and  the  doctor  had  made  every- 
thing ready,  a successful  operation  was  performed 
and  Ko’s  eyes  gained  the  power  of  vision.  They 
let  him  take  off  the  bandages  one  evening  when 
the  sun  was  setting.  Like  a ball  of  fire,  but  with 
its  light  tempered  by  the  mist,  it  was  sinking  into 
the  sea  when  the  boy’s  eyes  were  first  permitted 
to  look  upon  it.  He  gazed  for  one  moment;  then 
turning  to  Saijiro,  he  asked, 

“Is  it  God?” 

“It  is  the  work  of  God,  dear  Ko,”  answered 
the  doctor.  “ See ; it  has  gone.  ” 


328 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  MIDNIGHT  PRAYER. 

Friday  afternoon  had  come  ajjain  and  Miss 
Wilton’s  busy  week  in  school  was  over.  The 
girls  had  gone  to  their  homes.  The  last  one  from 
whom  the  teacher  had  parted  was  Kesa  Fujisawa, 
whose  jinrikisha  she  had  stood  watching  until  the 
coolie  had  turned  a corner  and  was  out  of  sight. 
Something  between  a sigh  and  a prayer  rose  to 
Miss  Wilton’s  lips.  Then  seeing  the  doctor’s  wife 
alone  on  the  veranda  she  joined  her,  and  the  two 
sat  in  silence  for  a time,  watching  the  water  and 
listening  to  the  never-ceasing  song  of  the  wavef 
as  they  beat  against  the  shore. 

“ Ho w strange, ” said  Miss  Wilton,  “that  the 
most  restless  thing  in  the  world,  this  heaving 
ocean,  should  be  the  most  restful  to  us!  I often 
come  out  here  wearied  almost  to  sickness,  after  a 
day  in  school,  and  only  a few  moments  spent  in 
watching  the  water,  feeling  the  ocean  breeze,  and 
listening  to  the  sound  of  the  waves  will  make  me 
feel  strong  again  and  ready  for  anything.” 

“Yes,”  answered  Mrs.  Fielding.  “The  words 
of  the  old  hymn  my  mother  used  to  sing,  and 
sings  yet,  I suppose,  often  come  to  my  mind: 

“ ‘ There  shall  I bathe  my  weary  soul 
In  seas  ofheavenlv  rest.’” 


the;  midnigeit  praykr.  329 

“I  sometimes  wonder,”  said  Miss  Wilton, 
“ whether  we  do  not  educate  these  girls  beyond 
their  surroundings;  that  is,  if  the  education  they 
receive  here  does  not  make  them  discontented 
with  their  own  homes.” 

“Are  you  thinking  of  any  one  of  the  girls  in 
particular?”  asked  Mrs.  Fielding,  noticing  the 
expression  of  Miss  Wilton’s  face. 

“Yes;  of  that  pretty  child  of  the  officer  Fuji- 
sawa’s— Kesa.  When  she  first  came  here  I 

thought  her  the  most  modest,  most  lovable  Jap- 
anese child  I ever  saw.  She  and  her  sister  were 
more  like  American  girls  than  any  others  in  the 
school.  The  little  one  was  never  very  forward  in 
her  studies,  but  always  happy  and  bright.  Irate- 
ly she  has  changed  and  seems  irritable  and  moody, 
and  I cannot  find  my  way  into  her  heart.  I have 
been  to  the  house  often  to  see  them.  The  father 
is  silent  and  stern  towards  Kesa;  the  mother, 
since  Hana’s  death,  has  been  sadly  failing  in 
health  herself.  Mitsu  is  a good  girl,  but  not  a 
very  strong  character.  And  so  the  child  has  no 
one  to  understand  her,  and  something  is  wrong, 
something  is  fretting  and  jarring  her  sensitive 
spirit.” 

“It  is  a solemn  thing  to  touch  human  souls,” 
said  Mrs.  Fielding.  “But,  dear  Miss  Wilton, 
sometimes  I see  a shadow  over  the  heart  of  iny 
own  darling  which  I am  not  quite  able  to  soothe 
away.  It  is  true  that  every  human  soul  must 


330 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


bear  its  owii‘  burden,  and  we  must  remember  that 
the  Shepherd  of  whom  we  speak  so  often  to  the 
Japanese  loves  these  wandering  ones  better  than 
we  do.  I have  to  say  that  to  myself  again  and 
again.  ‘ God  is  light,  and  in  him  is  no  darkness 
at  all.’  ” 

“Thanks,  dear  Mrs.  Fielding,  for  your 
words.  ’ ’ 

The  darkness  was  gathering  around  them,  and 
the  two  ladies  separated.  But  far  on  into  the 
night  the  teacher  turned  and  tossed  on  her  bed 
with  the  burden  of  the  child’s  soul  on  her  heart. 
Something  in  the  pathetic  depths  of  the  eyes 
turned  to  her  as  she  said  good-by  had  touched  her 
beyond  expression. 

“Dear  Lord,”  she  prayed,  “ I know  that  thou 
who  didst  die  on  the  cross  for  such  as  this  one 
dost  love  her  better  than  I,  and  that  her  soul  is 
infinitely  more  precious  to  thee  than  it  is  to  me. 
Give  me  grace  to  yield  her  up  to  thee.  Teach 
me  to  trust  thee  for  her,  and  for  all  those  whom 
thou  hast  given  into  my  charge.  Oh,  Lord,  for- 
bid that  through  my  carelessness  or  neglect  any 
one  of  them  should  be  lost!” 

“Marion,”  said  Mrs.  Fielding  the  next  day, 
“you  are  often  with  Kesa  Fujisawa;  do  you 
think  she  feels  happy  now?” 

“Mamma,”  answered  Marion,  “I  think 
sometimes  Kesa  wants  to  be  loved  by  her  mam- 
ma and  papa  as  you  and  papa  love  me.” 


Tl-IK  MIDXKiHT  PRAVKR. 


“Poor  child!”  said  the  mother;  “you  must 
try  and  comfort  her,  darling.” 

Marion  Fielding  was  to  go  home  to  attend 
school  soon.  Kesa  knew  this,  and  her  heart  was 
sad  at  the  thought  of  parting  from  her  friend. 
She  did  not  care  much  for  the  Japanese  girls,  and 
i\Iarion  was  often  her  only  companion. 

The  doctor  rightly  thought  that  his  little 
daughter  ought  to  know  that  there  are  such 
things  as  pain  and  sorrow  in  the  world,  and  that 
she  should  learn  how  to  meet  and  comfort  the  suf- 
fering. So  he  often  had  her  in  the  visiting-room 
of  his  dispensary  at  the  time  when  the  women  and 
children  were  most  apt  to  assemble  there.  Mari- 
on had  early  learned  to  go  about  among  them,  di- 
reeting  the  frightened  children,  reassuring  the 
timid  mothers,  and  speaking  a word  here  and  giv- 
ing a touch  there.  The  Japanese  loved  her,  and 
she  in  her  turn  learned  many  a lesson  in  the  dis- 
pensary among  the  sick,  the  blind,  and  the 
maimed. 

Her  mother  wondered  at  times  if  she  did  right 
in  permitting  her  childhood  to  pass  in  this  heath- 
en land,  with  no  playmate  of  her  own  nation. 
But  she  equally  dreaded  sending  her  away,  and  so 
kept  the  child,  trusting  to  the  sweet  home  influ- 
ences to  counteract  any  injurious  effects  of  too 
much  intercourse  with  the  Japanese.  Only  once, 
in  her  earliest  childhood,  had  Marion  visited  the 
home-land,  and  she  had  scarcely  any  recollection 


332 


KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


of  her  grandfather’s  house  and  of  the  uncles, 
aunts,  and  cousins  who  loved  her  there.  Now  the 
time  had  come  when  the  parents  felt  that  she 
must  spend  some  years  in  her  native  land.  So 
she  was  to  go  with  her  mother,  to  remain  three 
years,  while  the  mother  would  return  the  next 
summer. 

Kesa  was  Marion’s  chosen  playmate  among 
the  Japanese.  “She  is  a good  little  girl,’’  she 
would  say,  and  never  could  Mrs.  Fielding’s  closest 
questionings  draw  anything  from  her  save  in 
evidence  of  Kesa’s  gentleness,  truthfulness,  and 
purity.  So  during  Kesa’s  four  years  at  school  the 
girls  had  many  a play  together. 

Kesa  wondered  at  first  why  Marion  should 
love  a doll  and  tend  and  dress  it  as  if  it  were  a 
child.  She  thought  that  perhaps  there  was  some- 
thing more  lovable  in  a foreign  doll  than  in  one 
of  the  Japanese  dolls,  and  in  her  heart  of  hearts 
she  longed  to  have  one  like  Marion’s.  But  the 
reticent  child  never  told  her  desire.  Only  in  se- 
cret at  home  she  tried  to  fashion  a doll  something 
like  the  pretty  “Daisy,”  and  made  it  a dress 
after  the  pattern  of  Daisy’s  dresses.  Long  after- 
wards, when  Kesa  had  gone  from  her  father’s 
house,  and  Mrs.  Fielding  was  trying  to  comfort 
the  sorrowing  mother,  Mitsu  brought  the  poor 
uncouth  doll  to  her  and  told  her  of  the  child’s 
lonofine;  and  the  doctor’s  wife  sighed  as  she 
thought  of  the  little  girl’s  unsatisfied  yearning. 


THE  MIDNIGHT  PRAYER.  333 

and  said  regretfully,  “ If  I had  only  known,  I 
would  have  given  her  one  like  Marion’s.” 

One  pleasant  June  Sabbath  Marion  Fielding 
stood  at  the  schoolroom-window  looking  for  Kesa. 
She  knew  that  when  the  next  Sabbath  dawned, 
she  and  her  father  and  mother  would  be  far  out 
on  the  ocean,  every  moment  taking  her  farther 
and  farther  away  from  her  dark-eyed  friend.  The 
girls  were  already  beginning  to  come  over  the 
commons  to  the  school,  most  of  them  carrying 
flowers,  and  all  looking  bright  and  happy,  as 
though  glad  to  get  back. 

“There  she  is,  mamma.  I know  the  old  jin- 
rikisha  and  Meguchi,”  said  Marion  at  last,  has- 
tening to  meet  Fujisawa’s  daughter. 

Kesa  had  not  only  lovely  flowers,  but  a beauti- 
ful lacquered  box  and  handsome  crapes  to  give  to 
IMarion.  “ The  mother,  Mitsu,  and  Aka  send  these 
with  their  compliments,”  she  said,  “and  wish 
you  to  accept  them  and  take  them  to  America 
with  you.” 

''''  Okiarigato^^ — a great  thank-you — responded 
the  American  girl.  “ Will  not  Aka  and  Mitsu  be 
at  the  church  this  afternoon,  Kesa?  You  know 
that  Saijiro,  Yenoske,  and  Yen  are  to  be  baptized, 
and  mamma  is  so  happy  to  see  them  enter  the 
Christian  church  before  she  goes  away.” 

“They  will  be  here,”  said  Kesa,  and  the  girls 
went  into  the  house. 

Saijiro  was  now  a tall,  studious  boy  of  seven- 


334 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


teen.  He  had  almost  completed  the  course  of 
study  in  the  boys’  sehool.  Harukichi  was  still  his 
faithful  friend,  and  Saijiro  had  decided  to  follow 
in  his  footsteps  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Jap- 
anese. 

Yenoske  had  long  ago  been  promoted  to  the 
position  of  dining-room  servant  in  the  doctor’s 
family.  Yen  was  as  smiling  as  ever,  and  her 
baby  as  bright  and  rosy  as  though  it  had  been 
born  in  America.  The  hearts  of  Yenoske  and 
Yen  had  been  touched  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and, 
forsaking  their  old  beliefs,  they  had  accepted  the 
Saviour  as  theirs.  Yenoske’ s devotion  to  his 

‘‘little  master”  was  unchanged,  and  when  Saiji- 
ro had  decided  to  receive  Christian  baptism  Ye- 
noske had  begged  that  he  and  Yen  might  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  church  at  the  same  time.  Ko,  full 
of  love  to  every  one,  and  especially  to  the  Lord 
Jesus,  who  had  opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  stood 
at  Saijiro’ s side. 

Mr.  West,  as  he  looked  on  the  little  group 
from  the  mountain,  gave  thanks  in  his  heart  to 
the  Good  Shepherd  who  thus  had  led  his  sheep. 
Very  solemn  and  touching  was  the  engagement  of 
those  who  had  been  servants  of  idols  to  be  faithful 
and  earnest  in  serving  the  Lord. 

“I  cannot  believe  as  quickly  as  Chiye  did, 
Marion,”  said  Kesa  a little  sadly,  as  the  two  girls 
went  out  of  church  together  after  the  communion. 

“ But  you  will  some  time,  Kesa.” 


THE  MIDNIGHT  PRAYP;r.  335 

“I  hope  so;  I will  try  to  be  good.  I wish  I 
were  going  with  you.” 

“ You  will  write  to  me,  Kesa,  and  I will  write 
to  you,  and  tell  you  all  about  America  and  grand- 
mamma’s house.  And  three  years  will  pass  away 
quickly,  mamma  says.” 

But  Kesa’s  heart  was  heavy  with  sadness  and 
loneliness.  She  kept  close  to  Marion’s  side  dur- 
ing the  last  few  days  of  her  tarrying  in  Japan. 
Together  they  carefully  packed  away  the  old  doll 
Daisy  and  her  wardrobe.  Together  they  tended 
the  flowers,  some  of  which  Carroll’s  hands  had 
planted,  but  whose  blossoms  he ‘never  saw. 

The  day  before  the  steamer  sailed  Marion 
whispered  a request  to  her  father.  He  smiled 
and  said,  “ I will  see,  daughter,”  and  went  away. 
Some  hours  after  he  returned,  and  in  answer  to 
his  child’s  questioning  eyes  said,  “All  right,  dar- 
ling.” 

; “ Oh,  papa,  did  you  really  see  the  officer  Fuji- 

sawa, and  did  he  say  Kesa  might  go  to  Yoko- 
hama?” 

“ Yes,  daughter,”  said  the  doctor,  replying  to 
both  questions  at  once;  and  Marion  ran  off  to  tell 
Kesa  that  she  was  to  go  with  her  to  the  ship. 

A sorrowful  group  gathered  in  the  mission 
chapel  the  morning  that  Mrs.  Fielding  and  Mar- 
ion went  away.  The  old  teacher,  Makichi,  con- 
ducted the  morning  worship,  and  amid  the  tears 
of  servants  and  friends  he  read  Paul’s  address  to 


33^  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

the  Ephesian  elders,  with  the  touching  words  at 
the  close: 

“And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  kneeled 
down  and  prayed  with  them  all.  And  they  all 
wept  sore  and  fell  on  Paul’s  neck  and  kissed  him, 
sorrowing  most  of  all  for  the  words  which  he 
spake,  that  they  should  see  his  face  no  more. 
And  they  accompanied  him  unto  the  ship.” 

Exquisitely  touching  was  the  venerable  man’s 
prayer  as  he  thanked  the  Lord  for  sending  such 
missionaries  to  Japan,  and  begged  for  the  divine 
protection  in  behalf  of  those  who  were  about  to 
depart  and  for  their  safe  return  in  due  time  to  the 
people  who  loved  them. 

' Mrs.  Fielding  and  Marion  bade  their  friends 
farewell  with  tears.  They  felt  like  turning  back 
and  saying,  “We  will  remain  with  you,”  but  it 
was  necessary  for  them  to  go,  and  amid  tears  and 
prayers  and  flowers  which  were  showered  upon 
them  they  left  the  shelter  of  the  mission-house. 

Soon  Kesa  and  Marion  were  seated  by  the  car 
window  looking  out  upon  the  landscape  as  the 
train  hurried  along. 

“There  is  Fujisan,”  said  Kesa  as  she  spied 
the  top  of  the  mountain. 

’“  How  I wish  we  had  something  we  could  both 
look  at  while  we  are  separated,”  said  INIarion. 

“Well,  there  are  the  stars,”  responded  Kesa. 

“Yes,  and  the  sun  and  the  moon,”  said  Mar- 
ion/*-... 


THE  MIDNIGHT  PRAYER. 


337 


“ But  I have  the  English  Bible  you  gave  me, 
Maichan,  and  you  have  my  Japanese  Testament, 
and  they  are  better  than  anything  else.” 

“Yes,”  answered  Marion.  “But  see  how 
pretty  the  fields  are,  Kesa,  in  their  bright  summer 
dress.  I do  love  them  so.  I wonder  if  America 
is  as  pretty  as  Japan.” 

It  was  only  ten  o’clock  when  the  party  reached 
Yokohama,  and  they  started  immediately  for  the 
ship,  which  lay  far  out  in  the  harbor.  After  get- 
ting through  the  custom-house  they  had  a ride  in 
a Japanese  sampan  far  over  the  bright  waters. 
The  bay  was  full  of  life  that  morning.  The  sound 
of  the  hammer  was  heard  from  many  of  the  ves- 
sels as  work  went  on  preparatory  to  going  to  sea 
again.  A ship  under  full  sail  was  just  coming 
into  port,  after  a long  voyage  around  the  cape, 
and  a steamer  was  slowly  making  her  way  up  to 
the  anchorage.  The  low  hills  which  ran  up  from 
the  water’s  edge  were  all  bright  green,  and  Kesa 
and  Marion  could  still  see  Mt.  Fuji  and  the  Ha- 
kones.  The  boatman  sang  as  he  propelled  the 
boat  rapidly  over  the  waves. 

Up  to  the  great  steamer  “City  of  Tokio” 
they  came  at  last,  passing  around  under  her  sides 
to  the  stairway.  With  some  difficulty  they  got 
on  the  platform  and  went  up  the  steps. 

Kesa  had  never  seen  anything  like  this  mag- 
nificent vessel  before  and  was  almost  awed  by  the 
size  of  the  ship,  its  mirrors,  carpets,  and  beauti- 

22 


Kcsii  ail  I Saijiro. 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


338 

fill  furnishings.  But  there  was  no  time  to  linger, 
A peep  into  Marion’s  room  and  she  must  go. 

Mrs.  Fielding  drew  the  girl  into  her  arms  for 
a moment  and  whispered  a few  words  in  her  ear. 

“ I think  the  love  of  the  Americans  is  deeper 
than  that  of  the  Japanese,”  said  Kesa. 

“ But  the  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  deeper  than 
all,  my  little  Kesa,”  she  said,  and  let  her  go. 

An  hour  later  Kesa  stood  with  I\Iiss  Wilton 
on  a high  bluff  overlooking  the  sea  and  watched 
the  departing  steamer  until  it  was  a mere  speck 
on  the  distant  ocean. 

“Dear  Kesa,  do  not  cry  so,”  said  Miss  Wil- 
ton. “ They  who  love  one  another  are  never  sep- 
arated in  heart,  and  our  Father  will  watch  over 
us  all.” 

Kesa  felt  better  after  listening  to  her  teacher’s 
soothing  words;  but  the  next  day  she  was  listless 
and  indifferent,  and  at  last  positively  refused  to 
obey  some  simple  command  of  Miss  Wilton. 

Miss  Wilton  was  surprised  and  repeated  her 
order,  but  still  the  girl  refused  to  obey. 

“Then,  Kesa,  take  your  seat,”  she  said. 

Kesa  arose,  left  her  class,  walked  slowly  to 
her  seat,  and  sat  down.  Then,  to  the  amazement 
of  her  teacher  and  the  consternation  of  the  girls, 
she  threw  her  book  across  the  room. 

There  was  a moment’s  silence.  Never  before 
had  such  an  instance  of  insubordination  been 
known  among  the  Japanese  girls.  Insolent  disre- 


THE  MIDNIGHT  PRAYER.  339 

gard  of  the  commands  of  a teacher  was  something 
unprecedented  among  them,  something  that  they 
looked  upon  with  horror,  as  the  breaking  of  a 
direct  command  of  their  sages  and  religious 
teachers. 

“ Kesa  Fujisawa” — the  clear  voice  of  the 
teacher  rang  through  the  school — ” take  your 
book  and  go  to  your  room.  You  are  suspended 
from  the  regular  exercises  of  the  school  until  you 
do  as  I bid  you  and  bring  me  a sentence  written 
on  your  slate.” 

It  was  quite  early  in  the  morning,  and  all  the 
long  summer  day  Kesa  sat  in  her  room  alone 
with  the  slate  and  pencil.  A girl  of  her  own  age, 
one  of  her  friends,  several  times  went  up  to  her 
and  begged  her  to  obey  the  command  of  her 
teacher.  It  was  touching  to  see  the  sorrow  of  all 
the  Japanese  girls,  sorrow  which  even  brought 
tears  to  their  eyes;  but  Kesa’s  were  dry  and  her 
heart  was  unmoved.  She  heard  the  school-bells 
rung  as  hour  after  hour  passed  away  and  change 
after  change  of  class  was  made.  She  knew  when 
the  noon-hour  came.  Some  one  brought  her  rice 
and  tea,  but  she  pushed  them  aside  and  left  them 
untouched.  She  heard  the  girls  go  into  the  room 
below  for  the  Chinese  writing  lesson,  and  knew 
when  the  hour  for  Bible-reading  came,  which  she 
usually  enjoyed  so  much.  Then  she  heard  the 
day-scholars  go  away,  and  the  boarders  came  up 
and  got  ready  for  their  walk  and  left  her  alone. 


34^ 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Still  by  her  side  lay  the  empty  slate  and  the  un- 
used pencil.  Then  the  sun  neared  its  setting, 
and  when  it  had  almost  sunk  in  the  west  she 
heard  soft  footsteps  in  the  dormitory  and  felt  her- 
self encircled  by  gentle  arms  and  drawn  out  to 
where  she  could  see  the  sunset. 

“ Kesa,  dear  Kesa,  the  sun  is  going  down.” 

Then  rushed  into  Kesa’s  heart  the  memory  of 
the  last  Bible-lesson  they  had  before  Marion  went 
away  and  the  words  that  they  had  read  together: 
“Let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your  wrath; 
neither  give  place  to  the  devil.”  She  gave  her 
teacher  one  look,  which  lingered  long  in  Miss 
Wilton’s  memory,  and  then  rushed  for  her  slate. 

In  a few  moments  she  brought  it  to  Miss  Wil- 
ton, and  on  it  was  written,  “This  is  a beautiful 
day,  but  my  heart  is  dark.  God  bless  me  and 
take  away  my  darkness  and  give  me  light.” 
Then  sob  after  sob  shook  the  girl’s  frame  until 
Miss  Wilton  was  almost  alarmed  and  could  do 
nothing  but  soothe  and  comfort. 

“Dear,  dear  child,”  she  said,  ‘God  will  give 
you  light.” 

And  something  soon  came  to  Kesa  which  was 
more  of  a comfort  to  her  than  anything  else  could 
have  been.  The  Shepherd  sent  help  to  his  suffer- 
inof  lamb.  When  she  arrived  at  home  the  next 
day  for  her  Saturday’s  holiday  there  seemed  an 
unusual  stir  and  brightness  about  the  house.  Lis- 
tening for  an  instant,  she  caught  the  tones  of  a 


THE  MIDNIGHT  PRAYER.  34I 

well-remembered  voice,  and  in  another  moment 
was  with  Chiye — Chiye  come  back  from  Nagoya 
to  be  a helper  and  guide  to  her  younger  sister. 

Kesa  was  radiant  with  happiness  when  she 
and  Chiye  started  off  to  the  mission  on  Sunday 
morning.  How  delightedly  she  anticipated  lead- 
ing Chiye  to  her  teacher ! How  surprised  Miss 
Wilton  would  be ! 

But  when  they  arrived  at  the  school  the  sad 
news  of  Miss  Wilton’s  sudden,  serious  illness  met 
them,  and  Chiye  had  to  go  home  without  seeing 
lier.  Poor  Kesa  ! Her  heart  was  sad  enough. 
She  missed  her  teacher’s  sympathy  and  could  not 
bear  to  think  of  her  pain. 

The  evening  at  the  school  was  very  quiet. 
The  girls  sat  in  the  dormitory  in  small  groups 
and  talked  of  the  sick  teacher.  From  the  chapel 
came  the  sound  of  the  students’  voices  as  they 
read  the  evening  Scripture  lesson. 

“Kesa,  cannot  God  make  the  teacher  well?’’ 
asked  little  Koko. 

“Yes,  I suppose  so,”  said  Kesa. 

“Well,  cannot  we  ask  him  ?” 

“Yes,  Koko,  we  will  when  we  say  our  even- 
ing prayer.  ’ ’ 

The  girls  went  to  bed  early  and  the  house  was 
very  quiet.  Kesa  could  not  sleep.  She  loved 
her  teacher  dearly.  More  than  that,  she  clung  .to 
her  and  feared  to  be  away  from  her.  A terrible 
thought  came  into  her  mind  as  she  lay  tossing  on 


342 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO, 


her  pallet:  “What  if  Miss  Wilton  should  die?” 
For  a moment  she  felt  as  though  she  were  sinking 
in  deep  waters  with  no  helper  near.  At  last  she 
could  bear  it  no  longer.  “ We  must  ask  God  to 
spare  our  teacher,”  she  resolved,  and  going  from 
one  pallet  to  another  she  roused  the  sleepers. 

“ W^hat  is  it?”  asked  the  astonished  girls. 

“It  is  I,  Kesa  Fujisawa,  and  we  must  rise 
and  pray.  I fear  the  sensei  will  die,  and  we  must 
ask  God  to  spare  her  life.” 

The  clocks  were  striking  the  midnight  hour 
when  those  Japanese  girls  arising  from  their  sleep 
poured  out  their  hearts  in  prayer  for  their  be- 
loved teacher.  With  a sweet  strong  faith  they 
earnestly  asked  for  what  they  wanted,  and  then 
went  to  their  rest  again. 

“What  were  you  doing  in  the  middle  of  the 
night?”  asked  Miss  Wilton  of  one  of  the  older 
girls  the  next  morning  as,  much  relieved,  she  sat 
propped  up  in  the  bed. 

“We  were  having  a prayer-meeting.  Kesa 
Fujisawa  called  us  up  to  pray  for  you.” 

“Tell  Kesa  to  come  to  me.” 

The  girl  came  quickly,  stood  for  a moment  in 
the  doorway,  then  rushed  suddenly  to  the  bedside 
and  nestled  in  her  teacher’s  arms.  “Oh,  sensei^^^ 
she  said,  “I  do  think  I am  a Christian  now;  I 
neyer  loved  God  before.” 


TIIK  LITTLE  VISITOR. 


343 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  LITTLE  VISITOR. 

The  hearts  of  Saijiro  and  his  “mother  in 
America”  had  become  closely  bound  together. 
The  poor  minister’s  wife  in  Pennsylvania,  with 
her  six  children  to  care  for,  had  many  a sacrifice 
to  make  in  order  to  provide  means  for  Saijiro’ s 
education  in  Japan.  But  she  never  regretted  the 
adoption  of  the  boy,  and  the  influence  of  her  lov- 
ing spirit  was  very  beneficial  to  her  own  children. 
Early  they  learned  to  deny  themselves  many  little 
gratifications,  that  they  might  do  something  for 
their  “brother  in  Japan,”  and  they  watched 
eagerly  for  letters  from  that  far-off  land  which 
had  become  such  a reality  to  them. 

“What  shall  we  do  in  order  to  become  more 
interested  in  missions?”  asked  the  leader  of  a 
“ band  ” one  day  of  a returned  missionary. 

“Do  more  work  for  them,”  was  the  reply. 
And  it  is  a fact  that  the  more  we  do  for  them  the 
more  interest  we  shall  take  in  them,  the  nearer 
will  the  heathen  nations  seem  to  us. 

One  summer  evening,  in  the  twilight.  Clay 
Rindberg  came  home  from  the  postoffice  with  a 
letter  bearing  the  well-known  Japanese  stamp. 

“A  letter  from  Saijiro,  mamma.  Do  light 


344 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


the  lamp,”  he  cried;  and  the  other  children 
crowded  around. 

Even  ‘ ‘ papa  ’ ’ threw  down  his  papers,  and  all 
gathered  about  the  table.  This  is  what  Mrs. 
Rindberg  read: 

“Dear  Mother:  I know  that  to  hear  I have 
become  a Christian  and  have  been  baptized  will 
make  you  very  happy.  Long  time  I think  I give 
my  heart  to  God.  But  my  heart  very  hard,  and 
I think  I love  not  the  Lord  Jesus. 

“I  have  in  mountain  a little  friend  Kojiro. 
He  for  long  time  blind,  cannot  see  anything. 
One  day  I go  with  my  kind  teacher  back  to  my 
home  at  Yamamidzu.  I very  happy  to  see  my 
old  friends,  but  I happiest  of  all  to  see  Ko.  The 
doctor  look  at  Ko’s  eyes  and  he  say  he  can  make 
them  see.  Then  we  all  very  glad.  Ko’s  father 
and  mother  cry  for  joy.  They  think  he  always 
be  blind,  and  they  very  sorry.  So  the  doctor 
bring  Ko  to  Tokio,  and  he  take  the  things  from 
his  eyes  by  which  he  not  see.  Then  first  Ko  see 
the  setting  sun,  and  he  think  it  the  face  of  God. 
But  the  missionary  say,  ‘No,  that  is  not  God’s 
face.  That  is  the  sun,  which  is  God’s  work.’ 

“Then  Ko  want  to  know  all  about  God  and 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  So  I teach  him.  We  beg 
that  he  stay  here  at  school,  and  some  of  the  boys 
earn  money  that  he  may  be  taught. 

Ko  soon  love  God  very  much.  Then  he  say 
to  me,  ‘ Saijiro,  why  you  not  love  God  ?’  Ko 


THE  little  visitor. 


345 


want  to  be  baptized,  but  he  say,  ‘ No,  I wait  for 
Saijiro.’  So  we  read  about  Jesus  curing  blind 
men,  and  Ko  say  to  me,  ‘ Saijiro,  do  you  not  love 
him  because  he  cure  blind  men  ?’  But  I do  not 
love  him. 

“Then  we  read  how  he  hung  on  the  cross  to 
save  sinners,  and  Ko  say,  ‘Saijiro,  do  you  not  love 
him  because  he  save  sinners  ?’  Then  I think  how 
my  father  glad  when  he  hear  that,  and  how  he 
believe  on  Jesus  and  love  him  very  much.  But  I 
still  cannot  love  him  because  he  died  on  the  cross. 

“Then  my  heart  sad  and  Ko’s  heart  sad,  and 
I go  to  my  friend  Harukichi  and  I say,  ‘ Why 
cannot  I love  God  and  be  a Christian?’  And 
Harukichi  say,  ‘ I do  not  know.  ’ Then  he  pray 
with  me  and  ask  God  that  I might  be  a Christian. 
Then  all  boys  pray  that  I become  a Christian; 
and  I pray  too,  and  say,  ‘ Oh,  God,  make  me  a 
Christian.’  And  still  my  heart  hard. 

“Then  one  day  I sit  and  think  of  my  good 
mother  Kochi,  who  carried  me  around  when  I 
was  a little  baby.  I think  how  good  my  father 
was  and  the  old  baba  who  took  care  of  me  when 
my  mother  die.  I think  of  Yenoske  who  was  so 
good,  and  of  the  kind  missionary  teachers,  and  of 
my  good  friend  Harukichi,  and  of  my  dear  mo- 
ther in  America.  And  I think,  ‘God  give  me 
all  these  things;’  and  I say,  ‘ I am  wicked  boy.’ 

“Then  I cry,  and  Harukichi  say,  ‘Why  you 
cry?’  And  I say,  ‘I  am  wicked  boy,  Harukichi.’ 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO, 


34^ 

“Then  Harukiclii  tell  me,  ‘I  am  glad  yon 
think  you  wicked  boy.  Now  your  heart  soft; 
now  you  come  to  God.  ’ 

“Then  I see,  and  then  my  heart  soft  because 
I know  I am  wicked,  and  because  God  love  me 
and  save  me  from  my  sins. 

“All  Yamamidzu  people  who  are  here  have 
receive  baptism — Yenoske  who  was  good  to  me 
when  I little,  and  Yen  his  wife,  and  also  Kojiro, 
who  clapped  his  hands  because  he  so  happy  for 
me. 

“ I send  love  to  my  mother,  father,  sisters,  and 
brothers  in  America. 

“ I love  you. 

, “SAIJIRO.” 

Great  joy  did  this  letter  from  Saijiro  give  to 
the  little  group  at  the  parsonage,  and  the  glad 
news  of  the  boy’s  conversion  went  through  the 
village.  Two  months  afterwards  Saijiro  and 
Harukichi  read  Mrs.  Rindberg’s  answer. 

All  the  while  that  Chiye  had  been  in  Nagoya 
Harukichi  had  heard  little  or  nothing  of  her. 
But  his  heart  remained  unchanged,  and  great  was 
his  joy  to  see  her  one  day  at  the  service  with 
Kesa,  Aka,  and  Mitsu. 

“ I must  speak  with  her  or  in  some  way  make 
known  to  her  my  love,”  he  said  in  his  heart. 

The  next  day  he  went  to  his  faithful  friend 
and  counsellor  Mr.  West.  “Honorable  sensei^ 
w^hat  do  you  do  in  America  when  you  purpose  to 


THE  LITTLE  VISITOR. 


347 


marry  a girl  and  want  to  tell  her  of  your  love?” 
he  asked. 

“Sometimes  we  go  to  the  girl  and  tell  her 
plainly  and  in  a manly  way  that  we  love  her,  and 
then,  if  she  returns  the  love,  we  speak  to  the  fa- 
ther. Or  some  speak  to  the  father  first.  But,  as 
a general  thing,  the  two  most  interested  know 
first  each  of  the  other’s  love.  But  will  you  tell 
me,  Harukichi,  of  whom  you  speak  and  who  has 
now  your  love?” 

“Thanks,  honorable  sensei^  yes;  it  is  the  officer 
Fujisawa’s  daughter  Chiye  of  whom  I speak.  I 
was  baptized  at  the  same  time  with  her.  I saw 
her  face,  and  felt  sure  that  I should  love  her  more 
than  any  one  else  in  the  whole  world.  Then  she 
became  ill  and  went  away,  but  I never  let  her  go 
out  of  my  heart.  Last  Sunday  I saw  her  at  the 
mission  chapel,  and  I think  she  is  well,  and  I want 
to  tell  her  of  my  love  and  ask  her  to  become  my 
wife.” 

“In  this  case,  Harukichi,  I think  it  best  that 
you  should  go  to  the  father,  tell  him  of  your  love, 
and  ask  permission  to  marry  his  daughter,”  said 
the  missionary. 

So  Harukichi  went  up  to  the  custom-house  and 
asked  to  be  admitted  to  the  presence  of  the  high 
officer  Fujisawa.  Fujisawa  rather  admired  the 
manly-looking  youth,  with  his  air  of  courtesy  and 
good-breeding,  and  politely  inquired  what  he 
wanted. 


348 


KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

‘ ‘ I have  a strong  love  for  your  honorable  daugh- 
ter Chiye.  For  many  months  I have  cherished 
her  memory  in  my  heart.  I crave  your  honorable 
permission  to  make  her  my  wife.” 

“Why  did  you  not  employ  a go-between?” 
asked  Fujisawa,  who  had  listened  patiently  enough 
and  without  any  apparent  displeasure. 

“Because  I do  not  like  the  Japanese  custom 
of  employing  go-betweens,”  answered  Harukichi. 
“I  have  come  myself  to  ask  for  your  honorable 
daughter.” 

‘ ‘ Tell  me  of  your  business  and  prospects.  I 
hear  that  your  parents  are  wealthy  and  are  able  to 
give  you  a fine  establishment.” 

Dogu!  in  truth,  honorable  sir,  my  parents 
are  wealthy,  but  they  have  disinherited  me,”  an- 
swered Harukichi  sorrowfully. 

“And  why?”  asked  Fujisawa. 

“ I have  become  a Christian  and  am  studying 
for  the  Christian  ministry,  and  my  parents  hate 
the  new  doctrines.” 

Fujisawa’s  whole  manner  changed.  “You 
may  not  say  anything  to  my  daughter  until  you 
have  become  reconciled  to  your  parents.  These 
Christians  have  done  great  harm  in  the  country 
by  setting  one  member  of  the  family  against  the 
others.  What  difference  does  your  belief  make? 
The  doctrines  of  the  Christians  have  made  trou- 
ble and  division  in  my  own  household,  and  I will 
have  no  more  of  them.” 


THE  LITTLE  VISITOR. 


349 


Then  said  Harukiclii,  “Honorable  sir,  the 
Japanese  families  were  full  of  dissension  and  bit- 
terness before  the  foreigners  came.  There  is  no 
more  disturbance  than  there  was  before.  And  in 
many  a household  peace  has  come  where  before 
there  was  trouble.  But  it  is  well.  I will  not 
speak  now  to  your  daughter.”  And  Harukichi 
bowed  and  retired. 

“ Chiye,  come  here  to  me,”  said  Fujisawa, 
when  he  returned  to  his  house  that  evening. 

Chiye  obeyed  in  fear  and  trembling,  on  account 
of  the  sternness  of  her  father’s  voice. 

“What  do  you  mean  by  encouraging  a young 
man  who  has  not  the  decency  to  conform  to  Jap- 
anese customs,  who  is  disinherited  by  his  parents, 
and  is  studying  to  preach  the  Jesus-doctrines  ?” 

“ But,  honorable  father,  I know  nothing  about 
it,”  said  Chiye. 

Fujisawa  would  listen  to  none  of  her  denials. 
He  was  unrelentingly  angry,  and  all  of  Chiye’s 
protestations  were  in  vain. 

“ I did  not  know  that  he  loved  me,  honorable 
father,”  she  said  repeatedly,  bewildered  and  terri- 
fied, for  the  father’s  angry  voice  could  be  heard 
all  over  the  house. 

Mitsu  and  Kesa  had  crept  into  their  mother’s 
room. 

said  Mrs.  Fujisawa,  “ this  new  doc- 
trine makes  a great  deal  of  trouble  for  us,  Mitsu. 
In  former  times,  before  you  knew  anything  about 


350 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


it,  we  were  all  so  much  happier.  The  honorable 
father  never  grew  so  angry.” 

“ Dogu^  honorable  mother,  do  yon  not  remem- 
ber how  angry  the  honorable  father  was  when  I 
objected  to  my  marriage?”  asked  Mitsu. 

“What  can  Chiye  have  done  that  he  should 
talk  so  to  her?”  wondered  the  mother,  as  the  fa- 
ther’s tones  of  command  and  the  gentle  accents 
of  expostulation  came  to  her  ears. 

Dogu^  I know  not,  honorable  mother,”  air 
swered  Mitsn. 

Then  Chiye  was  dismissed,  sobbing  and  trem- 
bling, to  her  own  apartment.  Fujisawa  sought 
his  wife,  and  the  two  sisters  went  to  Chiye. 

“What  is  the  matter?”  asked  Mitsn;  and  Ke- 
sa’s  questioning  eyes  were  filled  with  tears. 

DognP'^  answered  Chiye,  “the  young  Haru- 
kichi,  of  whom  you  have  heard,  and  who  gave  up 
everything  for  the  sake  of  preaching  the  gospel, 
has  asked  me  in  marriage  of  the  honorable  father, 
and  he  is  very  angry.” 

“Do  you  love  him,  sister?”  asked  Kesa. 

“I  have  not  thought  of  it,  darling.  But  I 
think  I might  love  him.  He  is  good  and  noble, 
not  like  other  Japanese  young  men  whom  I 
know.” 

Chiye  said  no  more,  and  the  subject  was  not 
mentioned  again.  But  in  her  heart  a seed  of  love 
had  been  dropped  which  grew  and  strengthened. 
In  some  way  the  two  young  people,  without  ex- 


THE  little  visitor. 


351 


changing  a word,  came  to  know  each  of  the  other’s 
love  and  patience,  and  determined  to  wait  with 
meekness  “ the  Lord’s  time.” 

The  school  year  closed,  and  Kesa  was  to  go  to 
school  no  more.  Fujisawa  positively  forbade  it, 
and  the  girls  trembled  lest  they  should  be  forbid- 
den to  attend  the  Sabbath  services.  Sorrowfully 
Kesa  and  her  dear  teacher  took  leave  of  each  other. 
]\Iiss  Wilton’s  heart  yearned  over  Kesa,  and  she 
found  it  hard  to  leave  her  with  God  and  to  trust 
him  for  her. 

In  the  early  autumn  there  came  to  the  Fuji- 
sawas  a young  visitor  who  did  much  to  restore 
the  happiness  of  former  days,  for  a time  at  least. 
This  was  no  other  than  Genski,  the  eldest  child 
of  Tama  and  Mesoburo.  He  was  a straight,  man- 
ly little  fellow  of  eight,  somewhat  imperious  in  his 
manner,  but  lovable  withal.  He  brought  with 
him  a brightness  and  freshness  which  affected 
pleasantly  all  the  members  of  the  family.  It  was 
something  new  to  have  a boy.  All  of  the  old 
toys  with  which  Kesa  and  Rinjiro  had  pla}'ed 
were  brought  down  from  their  shelf  and  speedily 
demolished.  Old  Meguchi  worshipped  the  lad, 
and  the  aunties  were  only  too  happy  to  .show  him 
everything  whieh  could  possibly  interest  him. 

“ Do  you  have  acrobats  in  Hakodate,  Genski?” 
asked  Chiye  one  day. 

“Oh,  yes;  but  perhaps  not  such  as  you  have 
in  Tokio,”  answered  Genski. 


352 


'K'ESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


‘‘  Then  we  will  go  over  to  Asaxa  and  see  the 
acrobatic  performances  to-day,”  said  Chiye. 

Three  in  a jinrikisha — Kesa,  Chiye,  and  Gen- 
ski,  with  Aka  and  Mitsu  in  another  cart  behind 
them  ! They  were  all  happy  that  bright  October 
morning. 

“ Hakodate  is  not  like  this.  It  is  more  quiet. 
There  are  only  a few  pack-horses  in  the  place 
and  a few  jinrikishas  standing  around.” 

This  Genski  said  as  they  rode  through  the 
crowded  city  streets, 

“ Have  you  ever  seen  the  men  fishing  for  sal- 
mon there?”  asked  Kesa. 

Oh,  yes,  my  honorable  father  has  often  taken 
me  out  in  a boat  to  see  the  men  fishing.  I have 
also  seen  the  Ainos  spearing  seal  in  the  waters 
near  Hakodate.” 

‘‘  How  does  the  snow  seem  when  it  covers 
everything  up  in  winter?”  asked  Chiye  of  the  lit- 
tle northern  boy. 

‘^Oh,  I like  it;  we  have  fun  then  making 
snowballs  and  Daruma  Samas,  and  pelting  one 
another.  But  it  is  very  cold.” 

So  the  young  folks  chatted  until  they  reached 
Asaxa,  where  they  were  to  see  the  acrobats. 

A crowd  of  people  had  gathered,  and  the  per- 
formers were  all  ready.  They  were  dressed  in 
bright  scarlet,  and  had  feathers  in  the  little  caps 
which  they  wore  on  their  heads.  There  were 
some  poles  near  them,  and  a platform  where  a 


THE  LITTLE  VISITOR.  353 

man  sat  beating  a drum  and  humming  a most  do- 
lorous tune. 

The  chief  acrobat  ascended  the  platform,  and 
addressing  the  spectators  said,  “You  are  now 
about  to  behold  a most  wonderful  performance. 
Look  and  wonder,  O people.” 

Then  suddenly  throwing  himself  on  his  back, 
he  raised  his  feet  high  in  the  air,  while  a small 
child  ran  up  the  sides  of  the  platform  like  a mon- 
key and  perched  himself  on  the  man’s  feet.  He 
stood  for  a second,  bowed  to  the  people,  then 
rolled  himself  up  into  a ball  and  was  tossed  up 
in  the  air  and  caught  on  the  man’s  feet,  always 
coming  down  right  side  up  and  always  laughing. 

When  he  had  finished  some  boys  a little 
larger  came  and  balanced  themselves  one  on  top 
of  another,  until  the  last  one,  standing  on  top  of 
all,  was  a great  distance  from  the  ground,  and  one 
not  accustomed  to  such  things  might  tremble  and 
wonder  how  he  was  going  to  get  down. 

But  in  an  instant  they  were  all  down  on  the 
ground  again,  and  the  man,  springing  up,  made  a 
bow,  while  the  people  cheered  lustily. 

Then  followed  feats  of  jugglery,  knife-swal- 
lowing cutting  off  heads,  and  other  performances. 
The  Fujisawas  and  their  little  guest  looked,  cheer- 
ed, and  threw  copper  coins  until  they  were  tired; 
and  then  they  went  to  see  wax-figures  in  the  long, 
low.  wooden  building  back  of  the  temple. 

The  figures  were  wonderfully  human  in  their 


au  l 


23 


354 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


appearance,  and  Geiiski  was  much  interested. 
He  knew  all  the  characters  represented,  and  was 
as  familiar  with  the  story  of  Old  Japan  as  Chiye 
herself.  There  in  wax  was  the  sacred  white 
horse,  the  servant  of  Hachiman;  and  the  change- 
able goddess  Benten  was  there  in  a number  of 
forms.  Genski  recognized  Kintaro,  the  “red 
boy,”  Momotaro,  Yoritomo,  Hideyoshi,  and  a 
number  of  others,  all  in  stalls  like  so  many  horses. 
A man  exhibited  the  figures  and  told  the  story  of 
each,  pointing  with  a long  stick. 

“Don’t  you  go  up  to  worship.  Aunt  Mitsu?” 
asked  Genski,  noticing  that  none  of  the  party 
paid  any  attention  to  the  idols. 

“No,  Genski,  we  do  not  worship  idols  any 
more.  We  have  learned  of  the  true  God.” 

“Will  you  teach  me  about  him?” 

“Yes,  Genski,  we  will  teach  you;  and  when 
you  go  home  you  can  tell  your  mother.” 

Fujisawa  himself  took  Genski  to  see  the  wrest- 
lers, the  “strong  men”  of  Japan.  These  men 
give  public  boxing  and  wrestling  matches  in 
thronged  amphitheatres. 

On  another  day  the  proud  grandfather  took 
Genski  to  see  a play.  It  was  one  of  the  old  plays 
of  Japan,  and  Genski  in  this  way  learned  some  of 
the  ancient  customs  of  the  country  and  saw  the 
old  armor  and  court-dresses.  There  was  an  exe- 
cution in  the  play,  when  the  heads  of  the  actors 
apparently  rolled  down  on  the  stage  and  were 


THE  LITTLE  VISITOR. 


355 


carried  away  in  baskets;  and  the  principal  actor 
committed  suicide  by  disembowelling  himself  in 
the  sight  of  his  retainers. 

The  play  was  over  by  six  o’clock  in  the  even- 
ing, and  Genski  was  safe  at  home  early.  This  is 
a great  advantage  which  Japanese  theatres  possess 
over  those  of  this  country;  everything  is  done  be- 
tween sunrise  and  sunset. 

Genski’s  visit  did  good  to  all  the  family. 
Even  the  poor  mother,  whose  health  had  been 
failing  since  Hana’s  death,  enjoyed  the  mirth  and 
pranks  of  her  bright  little  grandson. 

Old  Kei  came  to  see  him  and  almost  over- 
“ whelmed  him  with  caresses;  and  Aka  saw  in 
him  something  to  remind  her  of  her  lost  Rinjiro. 

Greatly  to  the  disappointment  of  the  girls, 
Fujisawa  determined  to  send  him  to  one  of  the 
Government  schools.  But  little  Genski,  like  Chi- 
ye  and  Kesa,  had  an  early,  deep-rooted  aversion 
to  idols,  and  dearly  loved  to  hear  of  the  God  who 
made  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  and  the  beautiful 
world. 

Kesa  studied  with  Chiye,  and  found  in  her  a 
dear  companion  and  friend.  And  so  for  the  Fuji- 
sawas  another  winter  passed  away,  and  Kesa  was 
fifteen  years  old. 


35^ 


KHSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

SOME  LETTERS  AND  A WEDDING. 

How  it  rained  ! Genski  had  gone  merrily  ofT 
to  school  in  a jinrikisha.  The  sisters  had  watch- 
ed him  from  the  window  as  long  as  they  could  see 
the  top  of  the  cart  with  its  oiled-paper  coverings, 
and  when  their  precious  little  charge  was  quite 
out  of  sight  had  turned  to  their  sewing. 

As  a general  thing  a Japanese  house  is  a terri- 
bly close,  gloomy  place  during  a rainstorm.  The 
paper  slides,  which  have  to  be  closed  to  exclude 
the  rain,  do  not  admit  much  light,  and  no  one  can 
see  out.  When  the  storm  is  very  severe  the  wood- 
en shutters  also  have  to  be  closed,  and  the  air 
becomes  very  close  and  oppressive.  But  Fujisawa 
had  had  glass  put  in  the  upper  room,  and  the  girls 
could  see  away  down  the  steep  and  slippery  streets 
and  look  up  to  the  heights  above  them;  and  al- 
though the  rain  came  down  heavily  and  persist- 
ently, there  was  no  wind,  and  the  side  of  the 
house  was  open. 

The  three  girls  sat  on  the  floor  with  their  sew- 
ing. Japanese  women  have  to  rip  their  dresses 
every  time  they  are  washed.  The  pieces,  after 
being  cleansed  thoroughly  in  very  hot  water,  for 
they  have  no  soap,  are  spread  on  boards  to  dry,  and 


SOMK  LETTERS  AND  A WEDDING.  357 

are  as  smooth  when  finished  as  if  they  had  been 
ironed  by  the  most  accomplished  laundress.  Then 
the  dresses  have  to  be  put  together  again. 

The  sisters  did  not  usually  talk  much  while 
thus  working.  Japanese  ladies  are  generally  great 
gossips,  and  many  are  their  jealousies,  bitterness- 
es, and  heart-burnings.  But  the  Fujisawa  girls 
had  never  been  allowed  to  gossip  even  in  their 
earlier  days,  and  now  that  they  had  become  Chris- 
tians they  were  still  less  inclined  to  it. 

The  missionary  teachers  had  learned  the  be- 
setting faults  of  Japanese  women  and  had  faith- 
fully labored  to  correct  these  faults.  The  seeds  of 
truth  which  they  had  planted  had  in  many  in- 
stances sprung  up  and  borne  fruit — fruit  which 
had  taken  the  place  of  the  evil  weeds  of  slander, 
envy,  hatred,  and  malice. 

“ Chiye,  who  is  that  man  who  comes  here  so 
often  to  see  the  honorable  father?”  asked  Kesa, 
who  had  been  quietly  sewing  her  seam. 

Dogti^  I do  not  know,”  answered  Chiye,  and 
^litsu  looked  grave. 

“ Sometimes  I feel  afraid  that  it  is  one  of  those 
dreadful  go-betweens,  and  that  he  has  come  to 
ask  one  of  us  in  marriage,”  said  Kesa.  “ I shall 
never  marry  a man  whom  I do  not  know  because 
the  honorable  father  wishes  it,  Chiye;  I have 
made  up  my  mind.” 

“He  will  make  you  do  it,  darling,”  said  Mit- 
su,  whose  suspicions  had  been  aroused  by  the  con- 


353 


KI-SA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


stant  visits  of  a man,  liis  long  talks  with  her 
father,  and  the  sighs  and  averted  looks  of  her  mo- 
ther. 

“But,  sister,  I will  not.  I will  run  away. 
And  I am  going  some  time  to  be  baptized.  The 
honorable  father  seldom  looks  at  me  now,  and  he 
never  speaks  kindly,  but  is  always  hard  and  cruel. 
Sister,  I am  very  unhappy.” 

Then  said  Chiye,  the  comforter,  “Dear  Kesa, 
so  might  I be  very  unhappy.  But  you  know  the 
teachings  of  the  honorable  senseis  at  the  school — 
that  God  does  what  is  right  and  that  we  must 
trust  him.” 

“You  trust  him,  Chiye,  but  I do  not,”  said' 
Kesa. 

“Who  is  that  coming  in  the  rain?”  asked 
Chiye. 

The  girls,  looking  from  the  window,  saw  that 
a jinrikisha  had  stopped  at  the  entrance.  They 
could  not  see  the  occupant,  so  covered  was  the 
cart  with  oiled  paper.  And  when  the  person  in- 
side got  out  they  could  scarcely  tell  whether  it 
was  a Japanese  or  a foreigner,  a man  or  a woman, 
so  enveloped  was  the  unrecognized  guest  in  wa- 
terproof and  hood.  But  soon  the  girls,  to  their 
surprise  and  joy,  recognized  Miss  Wilton,  and 
hastened  to  greet  her.  They  removed  her  drip- 
ping outer  garments,  brightened  up  the  coals  in 
the  hibaehi^  brought  hot  tea,  and  welcomed  her 
with  loving  words. 


SOME  LETTERS  AND  A WEDDING.  359 

“I  am  not  in  the  least  wet,”  she  said,  laugh- 
ingly submitting  to  all  these  attentions.  “I  have 
a letter  for  you,  Kesa,  from  Marion,  and  as  I was 
not  eno:ao:ed  in  school  this  morninof  somethin<j 

00  00 

impelled  me  to  come  and  bring  it  to  you  myself. 
I am  hungry  for  news  from  Marion  myself,  so  I 
thought  we  could  all  enjoy  the  letter  together. 
How  is  the  honorable  mother?” 

“ Thanks,  the  honorable  mother  is  very  poorly. 
Will  you  go  in  and  see  her  after  we  have  read  the 
letter?”  said  Mitsu. 

They  gathered  around  the  hibachi^  taking  oc- 
casional sips  of  hot  tea  while  Miss  Wilton  read 
the  letter.  Kesa’s  brio^htness  had  come  back  to 
her  for  a time,  and  she  listened  with  sparkling 
eyes  to  the  words  her  young  friend  had  penned. 

“Dear  Kesa:  I have  been  thinking  of  you 
so  much  to-day  that  I must  sit  down  and  write. 

“ I am  very  happy  at  the  school,  only  lonely 
now  that  mamma  has-  left  me,  and  I do  want  to 
see  you  all  again.  At  night  when  I go  to  bed 
and  on  Sundays  I think  of  Japan,  of  how  the  sea 
is  washing  its  shores,  and  of  how  the  little  chil- 
dren are  playing  in  the  water,  catching  crabs, 
and  of  the  boats  dancing  over  the  waves.  I want 
to  see  the  bay  and  the  river  and  the  little  thatched 
cottages  and  the  mission-houses. 

“How  are  Yenoske  and  Yen  and  the  funny 
little  baby  Cho?  I know  she  must  be  having  a 
good  many  falls  with  her  first  little  clogs. 


36o 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“ I do  not  see  half  as  many  funny  things  here 
as  I did  in  Japan. 

‘ ‘ How  is  our  garden  ? Do  you  take  care  of 
the  plants  now?  Oh,  I forgot;  your  papa  does 
not  allow  you  to  go  to  school  any  more,  so  of 
course  you  cannot  take  care  of  the  garden.  But 
you  can  go  on  Sundays  and  look  after  the  flowers 
and  see  the  gold-fish.  How  many  of  the  fish  have 
died?  I am  sure  some  have,  because  they  were 
always  dying. 

“Papa  and  mamma  will  go  back  to  Japan  in 
October.  They  have  gone  away  from  me.  Kesa, 
I cried  until  I was  almost  sick  when  they  went 
away.  It  was  so  hard  to  let  them  go,  and  I 
wanted  to  go  back  to  dear,  dear  Japan  too.  I love 
Japan;  and,  Kesa,  I have  determined  to  go  back 
there  and  be  a missionary;  and  you  and  I will  be 
together  in  a school,  and  we  will  teach  the  chil- 
dren God’s  way. 

“I  have  something  else  to  tell  you,  Kesa;  I 
am  a member  of  the  church.  Oh,  Kechan,  if  we 
could  go  to  the  communion  together ! 

“The  girls  here  have  a missionary  society 
and  I am  a member.  Next  month  the  subject 
will  be  Japan,  and  I am  going  to  dress  in  my  Jap- 
anese costume,  and  we  are  to  have  an  exhibition 
of  Japanese  curios.  Do  you  remember  how  much 
fun  we  had  with  my  Japanese  dress,  Kesa?  I 
have  had  to  take  out  the  tuck  that  Mitsu  put  in. 

I have  grown  so  tall  that  you  would  n’t  know  me. 


SOME  LETTERS  AND  A WEDDING.  361 

“I  wish  you  were  here  at  sehool  with  me. 
You  will  soon  see  papa  and  mamma,  and  they 
will  tell  you  all  about  me. 

“I  am  so  glad  that  Chiye  is  back.  Give  my 
love  to  her  and  to  Aka  and  Mitsu.  Tell  them 
how  I want  to  see  them.  And  oh,  kiss  a flower 
or  a tree  or  something  in  dear  Japan  for  me  ! 

“ Please  write  very  soon  to  your  friend, 

“ MARION  FIELDING.” 

Miss  Wilton  read  the  letter  in  English  and 
then  translated  it. 

Mrs.  Fujisawa  had  come  in  and  listened  atten- 
tively. She  was  the  first  to  speak  when  the  teach- 
er ceased  her  reading. 

Dogii^  these  Christians  have  a very  deep  love 
in  their  hearts.  They  never  forget.  For  all  your 
kindness  to  my  daughters  we  give  you  thanks ; 
dogu^  a very  great  thank-you.” 

“We  love  to  be  kind  to  all,  dear  Mrs.  Fuji- 
sawa. But  how  is  your  honorable  health  ?” 

^^Dog?t^  I am  poorly  enough  these  days.  I 
have  no  strength,  and  often  have  fever  and  sweats 
at  night,”  answered  the  mother. 

Miss  Wilton  was  not  surprised  a few  days  later 
to  hear  that  Mrs.  Fujisawa  was  prostrated  with 
gastric  fever,  which  for  a time  seemed  to  baffle 
the  efforts  of  all  the  physicians. 

Those  were  dreary  days  for  Kesa,  Mitsu,  and 
Chiye,  and  in  their  care  and  anxiety  for  the  mo- 
ther the  dreaded  go-between  was  forgotten.  He 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


362 

did  not  appear  during  Mrs.  Fujisawa’s  worst  time 
of  sickness  and  passed  out  of  the  girls’  minds. 

Early  in  the  summer  bright  little  Genski  went 
back  to  his  northern  home. 

“Good-by,  darling,”  said  Chiye  as  he  turned 
to  bid  her  farewell.  “Tell  the  honorable  mother 
of  the  true  God.” 

In  October  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Fielding  returned  to 
Japan  and  hastened  to  the  anxious  family,  where 
the  mother  still  lay  on  her  bed  of  suffering.  The 
doctor’s  skilful  treatment  soon  effected  a change 
in  her  condition;  and  when  care  and  nourishing 
food  were  all  that  she  needed  a day  seldom  passed 
without  a call  from  some  one  from  the  mission 
with  some  strengthening  or  appetizing  prepara- 
tion. 

One  day,  as  Mrs.  Fielding  was  busily  engaged 
about  the  invalid,  Fujisawa,  who  was  watching 
them,  said,  “I  have  never  seen  such  love  as  this 
before.  It  is  wonderful.” 

Then  said  the  doctor’s  wife,  hoping  to  make 
an  impression  on  the  man’s  heart,  “ It  is  our  reli- 
gion that  impels  us  to  do  thus.  It  is  the  loving 
spirit  of  Jesus.” 

But  Fujisawa’s  face  grew  hard  and  he  turned 
away,  and  Mrs.  Fielding  went  home  sorrowing. 

“Chiye,  you  knowhow  the  honorable  father 
let  you  and  IMitsu  be  baptized  and  said  nothing 
about  it.  Do  you  think,  sister,  that  I might  re- 
ceive baptism  from  the  missionary  and  tell  the 


SOME  LETTERS  AND  A WEDDIXCx.  363 

father  nothing?”  Kesa  said  this  to  Chive  one 
evening  when  the  two  sisters  were  together  in  one 
of  the  bedrooms. 

“You  forget,  Kesa,  that  the  father  has  posi- 
tively forbidden  your  baptism.  He  would  be  very 
angry  if  you  were  to  go  against  his  wishes.  I 
hoped  that  the  dear  mother’s  illness  and  all  the 
kindness  of  the  missionaries  would  soften  his 
heart,  but  it  seems  it  has  not.” 

“I  hoped,  Chiye,  that  it  would,  and  that  I 
might  ask  his  permission  to  be  baptized.” 

“Kesa,”  said  Chiye  after  a little  pause,  “did 
you  know  that  that  man  was  here  last  night 
again  ? He  brought  a large  box  to  the  honorable 
father.  I am  sure  he  is  a go-between.  Oh,  Ke- 
chan,  I will  never  marry  any  one  except  Haruki- 
chi;  and  if  it  should  be  you,  darling!” 

“ Chiye,  I will  not  marry  any  one  in  that  way. 
I will  run  away.” 

But  Kesa’s  heart  was  sad  and  a terrible  fear 
came  over  her.  Something  made  her  feel  sure 
that  it  was  she  whom  her  father  was  thus  bargain- 
ing away.  She  went  and  sat  down  by  her  mo- 
ther’s side.  Incapable  of  understanding  her 
youngest  born  with  all  her  needs  and  question- 
ings as  that  mother  was,  undemonstrative  as  she 
had  ever  been  towards  all  of  her  children  except 
Hana,  her  heart  was  still  the  mother-heart  to 
which  the  child  crept  in  her  trouble  and  hers  the 
sympathy  which  soothed  and  comforted. 


KESA  AXD  SAIJIRO. 


3^4 


Ka~chan^^^  Kesa  said,  “ who  is  the  man  that 
comes  here  to  see  the  honorable  father?” 

Mrs.  Fujisawa  shrank  from  a direct  answer  to 
that  question,  and  Kesa  saw  the  shrinking. 

‘ ‘ Ka-chan^  please  tell  me.  Is  he  a go-between  ? 
and  does  he  want  me?” 

“Yes,  darling,”  answered  the  mother.  But 
she  was  hardly  prepared  for  the  cry  of  anguish 
which  burst  from  her  daughter’s  lips. 

Ka-clian^  ka-cha7i ! is  the  father  going  to  sell 
me?  He  sold  Mitsu,  and  he  will  not  let  Chiye 
marry  good  Harukichi,  whom  she  loves  and  who 
loves  her;  and  now  he  would  sell  me.  Ka-chan^ 
I hate  him  !” 

''''  Dogu^  dogu^  Kesa,  what  can  I do  ? You  must 
obey  the  commands  of  the  honorable  father.” 
Chiye,  hearing  the  disturbance,  went  in  and 
spoke  gently  to  Kesa — Chiye,  who  was  so  pa- 
tiently bearing  her  own  cross.  “Darling,  you 
are  distressing  the  mother,”  she  said.  “Come, 
and  we  will  do  as  the  teachers  at  the  mission  tell 
us,  carry  our  troubles  to  God.” 

So  the  two  girls  went  to  an  unoccupied  room 
'at  the  end  of  the  house  and  knelt  there,  and  the 
elder  sister  prayed : 

“Dear  Ford,  this  is  my  sister  Kesa  and  her 
heart  is  very  sad.  She  does  not  know  where  to 
turn  nor  what  to  do.  Lead  her  through  her  trou- 
bles, soften  the  father’s  heart,  and  bless  us  all,  for 
Jesus’  sake.” 


SOME  LETTERS  AND  A WEDDING.  365 

“ To-morrow  I will  go  and  talk  to  the  teach- 
er,” said  Kesa,  rising. 

Soon  the  house  was  quiet,  and  Kesa,  worn  out 
by  her  emotions,  fell  asleep. 

The  next  day  Miss  Wilton,  sitting  in  her  room, 
heard  a gentle  knock  at  the  door  and  was  sur- 
prised to  see  Kesa  enter  in  answer  to  her  response. 

“What  is  it,  Kesa?”  she  asked,  noting  the 
troubled  expression  of  the  girl’s  face.  “Is  the 
mother  worse?  or  is  Chiye  sick  again?” 

“No,  sefisei ; they  are  as  well  as  usual.  I am 
troubled  and  have  come  to  talk  with  you.  Sensei^ 
the  honorable  father  is  very  angry  with  me.  He 
will  scarcely  speak  to  me  and  does  not  wish  me 
to  come  and  see  you  or  to  be  baptized.  And,  oh, 
sensei^  we  fear  he  is  going  to  make  me  marry  a 
man  whom  I do  not  know,  and  I cannot  do  it.” 

Kesa’s  tears  fell  fast,  and  the  teacher’s  heart 
was  sorely  pained. 

“Dear  Kesa,  I am  sorry  to  hear  all  this.  I 
had  hoped  that  the  father’s  heart  would  be  soft- 
ened and  that  all  would  be  well  with  you.  It 
will  surely  be  well,  Kesa,  if  you  give  yourself  to 
God  and  trust  in  him — well  with  you  and  with 
Chiye  and  Harukichi  too,  dear  child.  How 
would  you  like  to  go  with  me  to  Shiba  this  after- 
noon? I have  something  to  tell  you  and  feel  like 
going  under  those  grand  old  trees.” 

The  day  was  warm  and  bright,  although  it 
was  already  winter;  and  when  the  coolies  drew 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


366 

the  jinrikislias  within  the  temple  enclosure  Kesa 
and  her  teacher  could  hear  the  twittering  of  birds 
and  see  bright  red  camellias  blooming  among  their 
glossy  green  leaves. 

Miss  Wilton  directed  the  coolies  to  turn  away 
from  the  temples  into  the  forest  which  surround- 
ed them.  The  jinrikislias  went  on  through  broad 
avenues  and  winding  paths  until  they  reached 
the  deepest  shade  of  the  trees.  Then,  ordering 
the  coolies  to  wait,  Miss  Wilton  led  the  way  to  a 
lovely  nook  where  the  golden  sunshine  poured 
through  the  trees,  making  glorious  the  mosses 
and  ferns  below,  while  above  was  a patch  of  blue 
sky.  It  was  a lovely,  quiet  scene,  and  the  two 
sat  for  some  time  without  speaking.  A peace 
seemed  to  steal  into  Kesa’s  heart,  a deep,  sweet 
peace,  as  though  sent  from  above. 

Miss  Wilton’s  voice  broke  the  silence.  “Kesa, 
I told  you  I had  something  to  say  to  you.” 

‘ ‘ Y es,  sensei.  ’ ’ 

“I  am  going  away,  Kesa.  I am  going  to  be 
married.” 

A look  almost  of  terror  came  into  the  girl’s 
eyes.  She  loved  and  trusted  this  teacher  so  thor- 
oughly; she  relied  so  implicitly  on  her  for  help  in 
her  trouble;  she  knew  that  she  could  flee  to  her  at 
any  moment  for  protection;  and  now  she  had  just 
told  her  that  she  was  going  away,  and  that,  too, 
in  the  hour  of  the  girl’s  greatest  need. 

“Dear  Kesa,”  said  the  teacher,  drawing  her 


SOME  LETTERS  AND  A WEDDING.  367 

nearer,  “do  not  look  like  that.  I am  not  ^oing 
out  of  Japan,  only  down  to  the  southern  country. 
I will  come  back  to  Tokio,  dear  Tokio,  some  day; 
and  perhaps  you  will  come  to  see  me.” 

“Is  it  where  old  Kei  lived,  sensei T'' 

“Near  there,  dear,  and  perhaps  we  can  find 
Nantaro,  Kei’'s  brother,  Kei  is  talking  of  com- 
ing down  to  try  to  find  Nantaro  and  to  establish 
Bible-readings.  Dear  Kesa,  do  not  sob  so,  child.” 
Then  with  loving  tenderness  the  teacher  tried 
to  make  this  poor  weak  lamb  feel  the  care  of  the 
Shepherd,  and  at  last  Kesa  grew  stronger  and 
calmer. 

They  separated  at  the  great  gate  of  the  temple. 
Kesa  went  with  her  own  faithful  coolie  up  to  the 
Kudan,  while  Miss  Wilton  went  back  to  the  mis- 
sion-house which  she  was  so  soon  to  leave. 

True  it  was  that  her  work  in  Tokio  was  over. 
The  days  of  patient  seed-sowing  had  not  been  in 
vain.  Many  of  the  little  ignorant  Japanese  chil- 
dren for  whom  she  had  cared  had  grown  to  be 
faithful,  intelligent  girls  and  women,  rejoicing 
her  heart  by  their  Christian  steadfastness.  Now 
a sweet  surprise  had  come  into  her  own  life,  and 
with  one  who  loved  her,  and  whom  she  loved  in 
return,  she  was  to  go  to  one  of  the  cities  of  the  In- 
land Sea. 

Kesa  sat  by  her  little  table  in  the  evening 
writing  a letter  to  Marion.  Chiye  was  by  her 
side,  now  and  then  helping  her  to  a word. 


368  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

^‘Dear  Marion:”  thus  the  letter  read,  “My 
heart  was  very  sad  this  afternoon.  I have  very 
great  trouble  in  it.  My  father  angry  with  me. 
He  scarcely  speak  to  me.  He  will  not  permit  me 
to  go  to  school  any  more.  He  not  permit  my 
baptize.  I fear  he  want  me  to  marry  some  strange 
man,  as  my  sister  Mitsu  did  so  long  ago,  and  she 
have  so  much  trouble.  My  heart  feel  very  dark 
and  sad. 

“Then  Chiye  and  I go  and  tell  my  troubles  to 
God  and  I feel  better.  And  next  day,  that  is  to- 
day, I go  to  see  Miss  Wilton,  and  she  take  me  to 
beautiful  place  in  Shiba,  and  we  sit  and  she  say 
nothing  for  a long  time.  But  the  birds  sing  in 
the  trees  and  the  wind  sound  among  the  leaves 
and  the  sun  shine  down  on  the  grass.  And  the 
blue  sky  is  above  us  all,  so  beautiful  and  so  peace- 
ful, and  I think,  ‘God  is  love.’  And  then  Miss 
Wilton  tell  me  that  she  go  away,  and  when  I cry 
she  say,  ‘Do  not  cry,  Kesa,  for  the  hord  Jesus  is 
with  you.’ 

“Then  I think  I will  trust  him  and  give  him 
my  heart,  and  I will  believe  he  do  right.  Now 
I have  peace,  and  Chiye  and  Mitsu  are  very  glad. 
But  I not  marry  the  man. 

“I  see  your  garden  every  Sunday.  Yenoske 
take  great  care.  Six  gold-fish  are  dead.  And 
Yen  and  the  baby  are  well.  The  baby  walk  and 
fall  down  some  time  and  some  time  cry.  Chiye 
is  better,  but  she  look  very  white  and  not  strong. 


SOME  LETTERS  AND  A WEDDING.  369 

My  mother,  too,  get  better  every  day.  Many 
girls  go  to  church  on  Sundays.  Thanks  for  your 
letter.  We  all  send  love. 

“ Your  dear  friend, 

“KESA  FUJISAWA.” 

A few  days  after  this  letter  was  written  Miss 
Wilton  was  married  at  the  mission.  The  “girls” 
were  invited  to  the  wedding  and  saw  for  the  first 
time  in  their  lives  the  simple  Christian  ceremony. 
Chiye  and  Kesa  were  there,  dressed  in  new  gar- 
ments, with  bright,  beautiful  sashes  and  elegant 
hair-pins. 

“ How  pretty  they  all  look!”  said  Mrs.  Field- 
ing as  she  watched  the  girls  partaking  of  some 
simple  refreshment  and  noted  their  gentle  man- 
ners, their  neat  dresses  and  bright  faces. 

“Dear  Mrs.  Fielding,”  said  their  teacher, 
“how  thankful  I am  for  what  you  have  always 
tried  to  impress  upon  my  too  doubting  heart — 
that  the  Shepherd  loves  these  lambs  better  than 
I do.  But,  oh,  watch  over  Kesa  for  me.  My 
heart  bleeds  for  the  child.” 


Kwa  BH(l  Palilro. 


24 


370 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

KESA  AND  HER  FATHER. 

No  wonder  that  Fujisawa  felt  angry  with  his 
youngest  daughter.  He  was  trying  to  harden  his 
heart  against  her,  trying  to  do  her  a great  injury; 
and  we  always  feel  harsh  towards  one  whom  we 
are  attempting  to  injure.  Yet  after  all  he  was 
really  fond  and  proud  of  Kesa.  Heretofore  he 
had  met  with  nothing  but  submission  in  his  chil- 
dren. Mitsu  had  submitted  when  he  ordered  her 
to  marry  the  man  from  whom  she  shrank.  Chiye 
had  submitted  when  he  forbade  her  to  marry  or  to 
see  Harukichi,  whom  she  loved.  He  had  no 
thought  but  that  Kesa  would  acquiesce  when  he 
commanded  her  to  marry. 

It  was  one  morning  before  he  went  to  the  cus- 
tom-house that  he  summoned  her. 

“The  honorable  father  wishes  to  speak  with 
you,  Kesa,”  said  Chiye;  and  when  Kesa  went, 
Chiye  prayed  that  the  Eord  Jesus  would  be  with 
her  and  bless  her  and  give  her  strength. 

Kesa  rose  when  Chiye  called  her,  went  quick- 
ly, and  stood  before  her  father.  She  did  not  pros- 
trate herself,  but  was  respectful,  and  quietly 
awaited  his  words. 

“ Kesa,  I have  completed  the  arrangements  for 


KESA  AND  HER  FATHER.  371 

your  marriage.  You  will  be  the  bride  of  Susumi, 
the  son  of  the  high  officer  Masanawa.” 

“Thanks,  honorable  father,  but  I cannot 
marry  Susumi  Masanawa,”  answered  the  girl. 

“ And  whom  will  you  marry?  I suppose  you 
are  like  Chiye,  and  love  some  one  among  those 
wretched  Christians.” 

“ No,  honorable  father,  I care  for  no  one. 
But  I will  not  marry  a man  whom  I do  not  know 
and  for  whom  I do  not  care.  Dogii^  father,  for- 
give me,”  she  added,  seeing  the  look  of  anger  and 
hatred  on  her  father’s  face.  “I  cannot;  oh,  I 
cannot.  Oh,  honorable  father,  remember  Mitsu 
and  all  that  she  has  suffered.  Please,  please  for- 
give me;  but  I cannot;  oh,  I cannot!” 

“There  is  no  use  in  your  talking  so  tome, 
Kesa.  This  marriage  shall  take  place,  and  I 
command  you  to  prepare  for  it.” 

“Honorable  father,”  respectfully  began  Kesa; 
but  the  continued  expostulation  only  angered  Fu- 
jisawa the  more,  and  he  pushed  her  from  him. 

“It  is  the  Christian  religion  that  has  done  all 
this.  I will  have  no  more  of  it.  My  youngest 
child  shall  obey  me.  Kesa,  I forbid  your  having 
anything  more  to  do  with  the  foreigners.  Neither 
you,  Chiye,  nor  Mitsu  shall  with  my  permission 
ever  go  to  the  Concession  again.” 

In  his  anger  Fujisawa  seized  some  of  Kesa’s 
books  which  were  lying  near  him  and  threw 
them  into  a dark  closet. 


372 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


The  poor  weak  mother,  with  Chiye,  Mitsn, 
and  Aka,  sat  trembling  in  another  apartment. 
They  dared  not  go  to  Kesa  lest  their  interference 
should  still  more  excite  the  father. 

“ I wish  not  to  see  you,  Kesa,  until  you  have 
made  up  your  mind  to  obey  me  without  more 
ado;  for  obey  you  shall.  You  are  already  prom- 
ised to  Susumi;  the  preparations  for  the  wedding 
will  go  on.” 

Fujisawa  closed  the  slides  and  went  away. 
That  there  was  any  danger  of  his  plans  being 
thwarted  the  father  never  dreamed. 

Poor  Kesa  ! She  felt  stunned  and  bewildered. 
Chiye  went  and  sat  down  by  her  side;  and  after  a 
little  time  of  silent  comforting,  Kesa  said, 

“Chiye,  I am  going  to  run  away.  Come 
quickly  and  help  me;  there  is  no  time  to  lose.” 
“No,  no;  don’t  be  in  a hurry,  little  sister. 
Stop  and  think,”  said  Chiye  gently. 

“ But,  sister,  I have  thought  and  thought  and 
thought.  My  mind  is  all  made  up.” 

“But  where  are  you  going,  Kesa?  and  how 
can  you  go  alone?” 

“I  am  going  down  to  Kei’s  country  to  find 
my  teacher.  Chiye,  come  and  help  me.  I must 
be  a long  way  off  before  the  father  comes  back  to- 
night from  the  custom-house.” 

Dogit ! where  can  you  go?  and  how  angry 
the  father  will  be!”  said  poor  benumbed  Mrs. 
Fujisawa. 


KHSA  AND  HKR  FATlIKR.  373 

Mitsu  said  nothing  at  first,  seemingly  lost  in 
her  own  thoughts.  Then  suddenly  turning  to 
Kesa  she  asked,  “Did  you  not  tell  me,  darling, 
that  Kei  thought  of  going  back  to  her  country?” 

“Yes,  sister.” 

“Then  I will  go  quickly  and  ask  her  to  ac- 
company you.” 

“Take  me  quickly  to  Nippon  Boshi,”  said 
Mitsu  a few  moments  later,  as  she  got  into  a jin- 
rikisha. 

The  coolie  was  not  long  in  reaching  Kei’s 
house.  An  old  man  sat  on  the  mat  near  Kei,  and 
a sickly-looking  child  lay  on  the  floor.  Kei  was 
reading  some  sweet  words  of  Scripture  to  them. 

“ Truly  welcome,  O Mitsu,”  she  said,  as  she 
rose  to  welcome  her  guest. 

“Kei,  can  you  finish  your  reading  and  listen 
to  me?”  asked  Mitsu. 

“ Rosuki,  you  and  Tono  may  go  now,  and 
soon  I will  read  you  more.”  But  long  months 
passed  ere  Kei  came  back  to  finish  her  reading. 

“ Kei,  the  father  insists  upon  Kesa’s  marriage, 
and  she  is  going  away  to  find  her  teacher  in  the 
southern  country.  We  wish  you  to  go  with  her — 
and  right  away,”  said  Mitsu. 

Dogu^  dogttP'*  said  Kei;  and  after  asking  a 
few  questions  she  made  ready,  and  leaving  the 
house  in  the  charge  of  a neighbor,  went  off  in  the 
jinrikisha  with  Mitsu. 

“ Send  word  for  me  to  the  honorable  mission- 


374 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


aries,”  begged  Kei;  “and,  O Mitsu,  go  and  read 
to  my  people  sometimes.” 

]\Iitsu  promised  to  do  wliat  she  could,  remem- 
bering sadly  that  she  had  been  forbidden  to  have 
any  intercourse  with  the  foreigners.  “Aka  will 
do  it  all,”  she  thought. 

Kesa  was  all  ready  for  her  journey  when  Mitsu 
and  Kei  came  to  the  house,  and  Aka  was  there. 
Both  Kei  and  Kesa  carried  a few  necessaries  done 
up  in  blue  ’kerchiefs.  Japanese  ladies  do  not 
need  much  when  they  travel. 

The  servants  had  prepared  rice  and  made  tea, 
but  the  family  group  sitting  on  the  floor  by  the 
little  table  was  sorrowful  enough.  The  mother’s 
heart  felt  like  breaking,  and  Chiye  mourned 
sorely,  while  Mitsu  felt  as  though  the  brightness 
of  her  life  was  to  be  taken  away.  But  there  was 
little  time  for  farewell  words  or  tears. 

''''  Saionara^  darling,  darling!” 

‘ ‘ Saionara^  ’ ’ answered  Kesa. 

Kei  bowed  low,  and  in  a moment  they  were 
gone — gone  from  the  sheltered  home  out  into  the 
great  world.  Kesa’s  childhood  was  over.  She 
o-ave  one  loiiQf  linoferinof  look  at  the  house  and  at 
the  group  of  dear  ones  left  behind,  the  coolies 
lifted  the  shafts,  and  they  were  off. 

It  was  far  into  the  evening  before  Kesa  would 
let  the  coolies  stop.  They  went  in  the  moonlight 
through  the  fields  over  which  Yetaro,  the  teacher, 
had  travelled  so  wearily. 


KCSA  AND  HER  FATHER. 


O/D 


Dogu^  darling,  we  must  stop,”  said  Kei  as 
they  came  into  a village  late  in  the  evening. 

All  of  the  people  in  the  little  thatched  inn  had 
gone  to  bed,  and  the  travellers  rattled  the  door 
and  called  for  some  time  before  any  one  heard 
them. 

“It  is  a poor  place,  Kesa,”  said  Kei  when  at 
last  they  were  admitted  by  a sleepy-looking  wo- 
man. 

“ I do  not  care,”  said  the  weary  girl;  and  worn 
out  by  her  day  of  suffering  and  travel,  she  threw 
herself  down  on  the  poor  pallet  and  fell  into  a 
heavy  sleep. 


KF.SA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


37'^ 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A WINTER  JOURNEY. 

‘ ‘ Kawaiso  /”  It  was  Kei  who  spoke  the  word, 
and  it  means  sorrowful.  She  had  just  risen  from 
her  pallet  and  was  looking  at  Kesa,  who  was  still 
asleep.  The  girl  looked  pale  and  exhausted,  and 
for  a moment  Kei  thought  with  dismay  of  the 
long  journey  before  them. 

Dogn^  where  is  your  faith?”  she  said  to  her- 
self, and  pushed  open  the  slides  and  went  out  into 
the  little  garden.  A glorious  morning  had  bro- 
ken over  Nippon.  There  was  not  a cloud  to  be 
seen,  and  the  cold  air  was  fresh  and  bracing. 

A servant-girl  was  washing  rice  in  a little 
wooden  tub.  Her  long  sleeves  were  strapped 
across  her  back  and  she  had  a blue  handkerchief 
bound  about  her  head. 

“ O haj/o^^  (good  morning),  said  Kei. 

“ 0 hayo^'^  responded  the  girl  pleasantly. 

“ Fine  weather,”  said  Kei. 

“Truly,  very  fine,”  answered  the  girl. 

“ Bring  me  some  of  your  honorable  water  and 
get  ready  some  honorable  rice.  The  jo  sama^^'* 
young  lady,  “and  I wish  to  proceed  on  our  jour- 
ney.” 

The  girl  brought  Kei  .some  water  in  a shallow 


A WINTER  JOURNEY. 


377 


copper  basin,  and  she  washed  her  face  and  hands, 
wiping  them  on  a blue  towel  which  she  took  out 
of  her  sleeve.  Then  pouring  out  the  water  she’ 
refilled  the  basin  and  left  it  on  the  veranda  for 
Kesa. 

“(9  hayo^''^  she  said  when  she  went  in  and 
found  Kesa  already  up. 

‘ ‘ O hayo^  ’ ’ said  Kesa. 

“The  honorable  water  waits  for  you,  Kesa, 
and  we  must  set  out  for  the  river.” 

While  Kesa  was  washing  the  servant  went 
into  the  room,  opened  all  the  slides,  rolled  up  the 
beds,  brushed  up  the  floor  with  a little  paper 
broom,  and  then  brought  in  some  rice  and  tea 
with  a few  little  pieces  c.f  daikon. 

“Truly,  a poor  breakfast,”  said  the  girl  as 
Kei  and  Kesa  took  their  chopsticks  and  began  to 
eat. 

“We  hear  that  the  rice  is  very  scarce  this 
year,”  said  Kei. 

“99^7^//,  yes;  people  are  very  sad  and  find  it 
hard  work  to  get  enough  to  eat.” 

The  fresh  air,  the  cold  water,  and  the  break- 
fast made  Kesa  feel  better.  “Let  us  go  now,” 
she  said. 

Dogu^  no,  not  until  I have  spoken  a word  of 
the  true  doctrine,”  answered  Kei. 

There  were  very  few  people  at  the  little  way- 
side  inn,  and  only  an  old  man,  a woman,  and  the 
servant-girl  came  to  listen  to  Kei. 


378 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


^'‘Dogu^  what  do  you  want?”  said  the  old  man 
to  Kei. 

‘ ‘ To  have  prayer.  ’ ’ 

But  already  I have  worshipped  at  the  shrine 
of  Inari  this  morning.  Where  is  your  god  ?” 

“We  cannot  see  him  and  we  have  no  image, 
but  we  have  a book,  and  I will  read  it  to  you.” 

“Do  you  not  offer  anything  to  him?”  asked 
the  woman. 

“He  tells  us  to  give  him  our  hearts,”  said 
Kei. 

Then  she  turned  to  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
and  read  the  Saviour’s  gracious  words  to  all  those 
who  are  troubled  in  their  hearts  as  to  food  or  rai- 
ment or  shelter;  and  the  old  man  listened  and 
nodded  his  head  and  said  it  was  all  very  good. 
Then  Kei  and  Kesa  knelt  and  repeated  together 
the  Lord’s  Prayer. 

“What  do  you  call  your  God?”  asked  the 
man. 

“Our  Father,”  answered  Kei. 

Dogu,  it  has  been  a long  time  since  I called 
any  one  father,”  said  the  man. 

Kei  left  them  a little  book  called  “The  True 
Way  of  the  Cross,”  and  then  she  and  Kesa  said 
“ Saionara''^  and  went  on  their  way  to  the  river. 
Our  travellers  were  well  wrapped  in  padded  coats 
and  dzukms^  and  the  rapid  exercise  kept  them 
warm. 

There  were  few  people  on  the  road.  After 


A WINTER  JOURNEY. 


379 


walking  about  an  hour  the  two  passed  the  inn 
where  Yetaro  with  Saijiro  and  Yenoske  had  spent 
the  night.  Kesa  enjoyed  the  keen  frosty  air  and 
the  rapid  walking.  The  color  came  back  to  her 
cheeks  and  the  brightness  to  her  eyes.  By  the 
time  they  came  to  the  river  there  was  a change 
in  the  weather.  The  wind  blew  sullenly,  as 
though  bringing  a storm,  the  sky  was  overcast, 
and  the  water  of  the  river  was  dark  and  rough. 

Hai ! hai!  hai!  leiido  Kei  clapped  her 
hands  and  shouted  for  the  boatman,  who  was  on 
the  other  side  ; but  he  did  not  hear. 

“Oh,  Kei,  who  is  that?”  cried  Kesa  suddenly, 
and  Kei  turned  quickly  and  saw  a man  running 
swiftly  towards  them. 

To  the  girl’s  excited  fancy  it  was  a essenger 
sent  after  her  by  her  father,  and  she  grew  so  white 
and  trembled  so  violently  that  Kei  ran  up  to  her, 
saying, 

Dogu^  Kesa,  don’t  be  so  frightened;  it  is 
only  a postman  running  with  the  mail.” 

The  man  was  all  out  of  breath  when  at  last  he 
reached  the  river  and  threw  the  mail-bag  on  the 
sand. 

Another  man,  with  two  horses,  had  come  up, 
and  they  all  stood  on  the  bank  and  gave  one  pro- 
longed Hai-i  P'‘  which  brought  the  ferryman 
over. 

The  boat  was  large  and  flat-bottomed,  and  there 
was  room  for  the  horses  too.  So  they  all  got  in. 


380  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

and  the  ferryman  worked  the  boat  rapidly  through 
the  water. 

“There  are  not  many  travellers  on  the  road,” 
said  the  postman  to  the  ferryman. 

“No;  I get  very  little  money  from  the  ferry 
now,  and  rice  is  scarce  and  high.  In  the  summer 
the  boat  is  constantly  going  to  and  fro,  and  it  is 
always  filled  with  people,”  said  the  ferryman. 

“ Do  you  ever  carry  any  of  the  honorable  for- 
eigners?” asked  Kei. 

“Oh,  yes;  some  of  them  drink  a great  deal  of 
sake.  ’ ’ 

“ But  those  are  not  the  Jesus-teachers.” 

“No;  I can  always  tell  the  Jesus-teachers. 
One  of  them  gave  me  a book  once,  but  I cannot 
read  well  enough  to  understand  it.” 

“The  doctrine  is  very  good.  Try  to  get  some 
one  to  read  it  for  you,”  said  Kei. 

Kesa  and  Kei  had  their  noon  rice  at  a misera- 
ble little  inn,  and  Kesa  felt  wearied  and  home- 
sick. It  began  to  drizzle.  Dogs  and  chickens 
huddled  under  the  eaves  of  the  house,  and  some 
half-naked  beggars,  covered  with  loathsome  sores, 
came  up  and  asked  alms.  Kesa  put  some  cop- 
per coins  in  their  hands,  and  turned  away  dis- 
gusted. 

The  jinrikisha  ride  that  afternoon  was  dreary 
enough.  The  two  travellers  wrapped  themselves 
up  in  the  blankets  and  had  the  top  of  the  cart 
covered  with  oiled  paper,  so  that  the  only  outlook 


A WINTER  JOURNEY. 


381 

they  had  was  from  the  front.  Occasionally  from 
one  of  the  houses  they  would  hear  the  “twang, 
twang”  of  a samiscn  mingling  with  the  sound  of 
the  rain  pouring  from  the  eaves.  Once  or  twice 
ajinrikisha  passed  them,  and  several  times  they 
passed  a traveller  on  foot,  closely  muffled  and 
carrying  an  umbrella. 

“Kei,”  said  Kesa,  “I  wonder  what  the  mo- 
ther and  Chiye  and  Mitsu  are  doing,  and  whether 
the  honorable  father  knows  I have  gone.  O Kei, 
do  you  think  he  will  be  very  angry  and  make  the 
others  very  unhappy  ? I heard  him  say  that  they 
should  go  no  more  to  the  church;  and  how  sad 
that  will  make  them;  and  I have  brought  all  this 
on  them!” 

“Ah,  Kesa,  they  would  rather  endure  the  fa- 
ther’s anger  than  have  you  marry  that  man.  Be 
of  good  courage  and  all  will  be  right.  The  hon- 
orable teacher  will  advise  you  what  to  do.  Let 
us  be  patient,  and  all  will  be  well.” 

“But,  Kei,  I thought  when  the  honorable 
sensei  was  sick  that  I had  learned  to  love  God  ; 
and  now  my  heart  is  dark.  Mitsu,  Chiye,  and 
Harukichi  have  sorer  trouble  than  I have,  but 
they  are  happy,  for  they  love  and  trust  God.  But 
I am  not.  What  can  I do,  Kei  ? I do  not  like 
the  Japanese  way,  but  I am  not  a Christian.  I 
can’t  believe  anything,  and  I do  n’t  love  any  one, 
and  my  heart  is  cold  and  hard  and  full  of  anger.” 
. Dogu^  Kesa,  we  will  read  the  Book,  and  you 


38a  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

can  talk  with  the  honorable  sensei^  and  all  will 
yet  be  well.” 

Kei  longed  to  have  Kesa  talk  with  the  teacher. 
She  felt  utterly  unable  to  guide  the  poor  wanderer 
herself.  But  the  Shepherd  was  looking  after  his 
sheep  all  the  time,  and  Kei  felt  his  comforting 
presence,  although  Kesa  did  not. 

In  the  late  afternoon,  while  the  cold  rain  still 
came  pouring  down,  they  reached  the  great  city 
Odawara.  The  hotel  servants  came  out  to  greet 
them,  and  the  weary,  wet  travellers  were  taken  up 
to  the  best  room,  where  they  warmed  themselves 
over  hibachis  filled  with  glowing  coals,  and  had 
hot  soup  and  tea. 

“This  is  very  good,”  said  Kesa,  holding  the 
soup-bowl  close  to  her  mouth  and  tossing  in  the 
soup  with  chopsticks. 

“What  is  it  made  of?”  asked  Kei  of  the  girl 
who  sat  near  them,  ready  to  pour  more  tea  or  to 
fill  their  rice-bowls. 

“It  is  made  of  /<s'f-fish,  and  has  eggs  and  tofu 
in  it,”  said  the  girl. 

“ Very  good  tofuf  said  Kei. 

Tofu  is  a very  light  sort  of  omelet  which  the 
Japanese  like  very  much. 

It  grew  dark,  and  the  girl  brought  in  candles. 

“Have  any  of  the  Jesus- teachers  been  here?” 
asked  Kei.  Her  heart  was  ever  in  her  work. 

“Yes;  they  stop  here  very  often,  and  sing 
hymns  about  Jesus  and  a happy  country  and  talk 


A JAPANESE  SANDAL-MAKER 


A WINTER  JOURNEY. 


3S3 


to  US.  They  have  left  us  some  of  their  books,” 
answered  the  girl. 

“Are  there  any  believers  here?”  asked  Kei. 

Dogu^  no;  but  there  is  an  old  woman  here 
who  wants  to  learn.  You  might  go  to  her.” 
After  dinner,  in  the  pouring  rain  and  through 
the  dimly  lighted  streets,  Kei  and  Kesa  followed 
a man  with  a lantern  to  a house  back  of  the  hotel. 
They  could  hear  through  the  storm  the  sound  of 
the  waves  beating  on  the  shore. 

“Ah,  much  snow  has  fallen.  It  will  be  rough 
for  the  jo  samay 

“The  jo  sa7Jia  is  strong  and  not  afraid  of  the 
storm.  But  can  you  tell  me  where  to  buy  some 
high^^to,  that  our  feet  may  be  kept  out  of  the 
wet?” 

“Yes,”  said  the  man  ; “here  is  a shoe-store 
now.  ’ ^ 

Down  went  the  shoe-seller  on  his  forehead 
when  he  saw  his  customers.  “You  have  well 
come,  honorable  strangers,”  he  said. 

Kei  and  Kesa  bowed. 

“ It  is  truly  bad  weather.” 

“Truly,  bad  weather.” 

“The  jo  sama  will  like  some  fine gctas  f” 
“Thanks,  the  jo  sama  is  travelling  and  wishes 
some  high  shoes  to  keep  her  feet  from  being  wet.” 
Then  the  man  brought  down  from  the  shelves 
some  common  wooden  getas  with  very  high  under- 
pieces, and  Kei  and  Kesa  each  selected  a pair. 


384 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


‘ ‘ Dogu^  Kei,  I never  wore  such  high  shoes,  ’ ’ 
said  Kesa. 

“Nor  such  rough  ones;  but  you  will  need 
them,”  answered  Kei. 

They  paid  two  boos  each  for  the  shoes.  The 
man  thanked  them  over  and  over,  and  they  said 
good-by  and  went  to  find  large  rain  umbrellas. 

“ Now  let  us  go  to  the  woman  who  wishes  to 
learn  the  Jesus-doctrine,”  said  Kei. 

The  house  was  not  much  larger  than  Kei’s 
own  and  was  all  dark.  But  when  they  called, 
“ O tano  moshimasu^'''^  they  heard  a rustling  with- 
in, and  soon  the  slides  were  pushed  open  by  a 
middle-aged  woman. 

“ Ah,  Kato,”  .said  the  woman,  “ is  that  you?” 

“Yes,  honorable  mistress.  I have  brought 
some  strangers  from  Tokio.  They  are  learned  in 
the  honorable  doctrines  of  the  honorable  foreign- 
ers. ’ ’ 

“They  are  welcome,  truly  welcome.  Conde- 
scend to  enter  my  humble  abode.” 

“Truly,  thanks,”  answered  Kei  and  Kesa, 
and  they  all  went  in. 

“Honorable  husband  has  just  retired,  but  he 
will  rise  when  he  hears  of  the  honorable  guests 
from  the  great  city.” 

The  woman  lighted  a tallow  candle  which  was 
stuck  in  the  end  of  a high  wooden  candlestick, 
fanned  the  coals  of  a hibachi^  and  put  on  them  a 
kettle  of  water  for  tea. 


A WINTER  JOURNEY, 


3S5 


It  was  Kei’s  own  precious  book,  the  Gospel  ac- 
cording to  Mark,  that  the  woman  had;  and  soon 
they  were  deep  in  the  story  of  the  Saviours  life 
upon  earth.  And  so  absorbed  were  Kei  and  the 
woman  and  the  man  that  they  could  not  stop  until 
they  had  gone  through  most  of  the  volume. 

Poor  Kesa,  weary  with  the  journey,  fell  asleep, 
and  it  was  nearly  midnight  when  Kei  roused  her 
to  go  back  to  the  hotel.  But  Kei  was  radiant. 

“You  are  very  happy,  Kei,”  said  Kesa,  won- 
dering. 

“Yes,”  answered  Kei;  “teaching  the  Jesus- 
doctrine  is  very  happy  work.” 

Kei  might  have  sung, 

“ I love  to  tell  the  story, 

It  did  so  much  for  me ; 

And  that  is  just  the  reason 
, I tell  it  now  to  thee.” 

The  next  morning  they  stood  at  the  hotel  door 
all  ready  for  a climb,  looking  up  at  the  mountain. 
The  rain  was  over  and  the  sun  shining  brightly, 
but  the  roads  were  muddy,  and  up  on  the  moun- 
tain they  could  see  the  snow  lying  in  great  drifts. 

“I  have  seen  the  Hakone  Mountains  all  my 
life,”  said  Kesa,  “but  I have  never  been  so  near 
before.” 

Kago  men  pressed  about  them,  eager  to  carry 
the  old  lady  and  the  jo  saina  up  the  mountain,  but 
Kei  refused  to  engage  them.  She  and  Kesa  were 
strong  and  carried  trusty  mountain-staves,  and 

Kesa  an. I Saijiro.  2S 


386 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


why  should  they  not  walk?  So  said  Kesa;  and 
they  went  out  of  the  city  in  the  early  winter  morn- 
ing and  began  the  ascent  of  the  mountain. 

“It  is  over  this  mountain  that  Yenoske  has 
gone  so  often,  and  he  has  often  told  Marion  sau  of 
how  he  used  to  gather  lilies  for  Saijiro,’’  said 
Kesa. 

They  stopped  for  their  noon  rice  at  the  little 
tea-house  at  the  turn  of  the  road  which  led  down 
to  Yamamidzu.  Inari  and  Jizo  stood  up  in  the 
snow  as  pleasant  and  smiling  as  ever.  They 
might  have  told  Kei  and  Kesa  how  often  Saijiro 
and  Yenoske  had  stopped  there  to  worship,  but 
they  were  speechless,  and  neither  Kei  nor  Kesa 
knew  how  near  they  were  to  Yamamidzu,  of 
which  they  had  heard  so  much. 

In  the  afternoon  they  fell  in  with  a party  of 
travellers  going,  like  themselves,  to  Hakon’e,  and 
a merry  time  they  all  had  in  the  snow.  It  was 
Kesa’s  first  experience,  and  many  a tumble  she 
had  on  the  high  and  many  a shout  of  laugh- 

ter was  heard  on  the  mountain  that  afternoon. 

It  was  bitterly  cold  when  they  got  into  Ha- 
kone.  Snow  lay  on  the  ground,  and  the  wind 
howled  dismally.  The  lake  was  rough,  but  look- 
ed very  beautiful  with  its  setting  of  white  and 
pure  snowy  mountains  encircling  it. 

“The  missionaries  come  here  every  summer 
and  hold  meetings,  and  many  people  on  the 
mountain  read  the  Jesus-books,  and  some  be- 


A WINTER  JOURNEY. 


3S7 

lieve,”  said  the  landlady,  in  answer  to  Kei’s  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  they  had  listened  to  the  Jesus- 
teaching. 

The  woman  was  the  same  one  who  ^vas  so 
kind  to  Saijiro  when  he  passed  over  the  mountain 
with  Yenoske.  She  listened  to  the  Scripture- 
reading and  heard  Kesa  sing,  and  she  and  all  the 
people  who  gathered  in  the  hotel  that  evening 
said  the  doctrine  was  “ very  good.’’ 

And  so  for  several  days  did  Kei  and  Kesa  trav- 
el, going  down  the  highway  to  Nagoya.  They 
found  the  weather  warmer  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain  as  they  journeyed  south. 

They  came  at  last  to  Nagoya,  and  found 
Kesa’s  aunt.  Her  house  was  the  very  perfection 
of  neatness — not  a spot  on  the  white  mats,  not  a 
speck  on  the  dark,  polished  wood-work.  Beauti- 
ful camellias  were  blooming  in  the  garden,  and 
splendid  gold-fish,  the  finest  Kesa  had  ever  seen, 
were  swimming  in  the  pond. 

The  aunt  herself  was  one  of  the  strictest  of 
Buddhist  women,  and  had  her  head  shaved  as  a 
sort  of  priestess;  she  wore  no  ornaments,  went 
three  times  daily  to  the  temple,  fasted  often,  and 
repeated  the  name  of  Shaka  Sama  a thousand 
times  a day. 

“I  am  Kesa  Fujisawa,  the  sister  of  Chive,” 
said  Kesa,  when  she  was  ushered  into  the  presence 
of  this  grave  personage. 

Dogu^  dogu  r''  said  the  aunt,  at  first  some- 


KESA  AND  SAIJIEO. 


388 

what  surprised  out  of  her  usual  calm  dignity. 
“ And  what  are  you  doing  here,  child?  Did  the 
honorable  father  send  you  to  me  ?” 

“No,  honorable  aunt.  I have  run  away  from 
my  father,  because  he  wanted  me  to  marry;  and  I 
am  on  my  way  to  the  southern  country.” 

“That  is  what  comes  of  letting  children  go  to 
foreign  schools  and  learn  foreign  religions,”  said 
the  aunt.  “I  warned  your  honorable  father 
against  it  and  told  him  no  good  would  come  of  it. 
Chiye  was  always  reading  her  Christian  books, 
and  never  went  to  the  temple  nor  repeated  Shaka 
Sama’s  holy  name  nor  counted  her  beads.  Dogu^ 
dogu!  what  is  to  become  of  Nippon?” 

Nevertheless  she  invited  Kei  and  Kesa  to 
make  their  home  with  her  while  they  remained 
in  Nagoya.  Unfortunately  the  next  day  was 
Sunday  and  they  had  to  remain  two  nights,  and 
Kesa  and  her  aunt  grew  more  and  more  antago- 
nistic  all  the  while. 

“ Your  eyes  are  too  large  and  your  cheeks  are 
too  red  and  you  have  no  manners,”  she  wc-.ild 
say  to  Kesa;  and  Kesa  would  return  these  com- 
pliments by  thoroughly  disliking  her  and  won- 
dering how  Chiye  endured  her  so  long.  It  was  a 
relief  to  all  when  jMonday  morning  came  at  last 
and  the  travellers  could  proceed  on  their  journey.  ' 
“I  hate  her!”  exclaimed  Kesa  as  soon  as  they 
were  well  away  from  the  house;  “I  hate  her 
shaven  head  and  her  nun’s  dress!” 


A WINTER  JOURNEY.  389 

“ Kesa,  that  is  one  reason  why  you  cannot 
love  God  and  become  a Christian.  Your  heart  is 
so  quickly  filled  with  anger.  You  are  hard  and 
unforgiving  to  your  father;  you  are  half  inclined 
to  despise  your  gentle  mother;  you  hate  this  per- 
son and  that  person  without  much  reason;  and 
when  you  do  love  any  one  you  cling  to  that  per- 
son instead  of  to  God.  ’ ’ 

Dogic^  Kei !”  protested  Kesa.  But  her  eyes 
were  filled  with  tears. 

Kei  looked  sorrowful  and  wished  that  Kesa 
had  not  met  her  aunt,  and  wondered  how  she 
could  ever  follow  the  loving  Shepherd  with  so 
much  hatred  in  her  heart. 

Still  they  went  on,  patiently  treading  the  great 
highway,  hoping  to  reach  Kioto  before  the  next 
Sabbath. 

“Kei,  do  you  think  you  will  find  Nantaro?” 
asked  Kesa  one  day. 

“I  am  asking  God  every  day  to  lead  me  to 
him,”  Kei  answered;  and  that  evening  she  asked 
Kesa  to  read  to  her  the  story  of  Joseph.  They 
wept  over  the  beautiful  history,  and  Kei  said,  “ If 
God  so  led  Joseph’s  brethren  to  him,  he  can  lead 
me  to  Nan  taro.” 

As  they  approached  the  great  spiritual  capital, 
Osaka,  they  passed  many  temples  and  pagodas 
and  noticed  the  great  number  of  priests  on  the 
road.  “They  must  worship  a great  deal  down 
here,”  said  Kesa;  and  Kei  sighed. 


390  KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

But  when  they  entered  the  hill-surrounded 
city  with  all  its  grand  temples  and  images,  Kei’s 
heart  was  delighted  by  the  number  of  those  who 
were  listening  to  the  words  she  loved  so  well. 
There  she  found  schools  and  colleges  and  mis- 
sionary houses  and  churches.  And  they  told  her 
that  in  all  the  mountain  solitudes,  even  at  the 
holiest  shrines,  the  doctrines  of  the  cross  were  pre- 
sented and  that  there  were  many  believers,  as 
well  as  in  the  city  itself. 

“Bet  us  go  to  the  temple  where  I lived  with 
the  woman  and  where  I studied  with  the  priest,” 
she  said  to  Kesa  one  day. 

They  went  through  a long,  crowded  street 
and  came  to  the  same  little  house  that  Kei  re- 
membered. She  stood  and  called,  “(9  tano  moshi- 
and  a woman  of  about  her  own  age  came 
out.  It  was  the  friend  of  years  ago,  and  she  had 
become  a Christian,  and  there  was  great  rejoicing. 

But  the  priest  was  dead,  and  Kei  sorrowed 
much  because  she  could  not  tell  him  the  glad 
story  of  the  cross.  She  showed  Kesa  the  pave- 
ment where  she  had  walked  until  her  feet  were 
sore,  and  the  money-box  into  which  she  threw 
the  beans,  and  the  bell  which  she  rang  to  call  the 
attention  of  the  god. 

‘ ‘ Dogu^  dogu^  dogu  P ’ said  Kei. 

Then  Kesa  begged  to  climb  the  pagoda;  and 
they  went  up  the  rickety  old  stairs,  which  shook 
so  that  Kei  was  afraid  and  clung  to  the  side  of 


A WINTER  JOURNEY. 


391 


the  building.  But  when  they  reached  the  top  of 
the  pagoda  they  had  a glorious  view  of  all  Osaka, 
with  its  canals  and  splendid  bridges,  its  castle  and 
Government  buildings. 

“Truly  a great  city,  and  truly  to  God  a great 
thank-you,”  said  Kei. 

From  Osaka  they  went  by  train  to  Kobe,  and 
spent  a pleasant  Sabbath  in  that  little  city  by  the 
sea.  They  saw  the  school  on  the  hill  where  so 
many  girls  have  been  trained  for  service  in  the 
Master’s  cause.  There  was  a meeting  of  the 
Christians  from  Kioto,  Osaka,  the  hill  country, 
and  the  islands  round  about,  and  Kei  heard  an 
address  from  a man  who  came  from  her  own  na- 
tive region;  she  clasped  her  hands  in  thankfulness 
when  she  knew  that  the  “Word”  was  preached 
there  also. 

But  Kei  was  anxious  to  continue  the  j’ourney, 
so  they  took  passage  for  Onomichi,  and  one  morn- 
ing when  the  sun  rose  they  were  sailing  among 
the  countless  islands  of  the  Inland  Sea. 

“It  is  very  beautiful,  Kei,”  said  Kesa  as  they 
stood  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer. 

From  all  the  little  islands  fishing-boats  were 
coming,  darting  out  of  hidden  nooks  and  dancing 
in  the  glory  of  the  sunshine.  The  steamer  was 
winding  in  and  out  among  islands  of  fantastic 
shapes.  Now  before  them  stood  a huge  elephant, 
now  a monstrous  sugar-loaf,  now  a castle  with 
domes  and  towers,  and  now  a humped  camel. 


392  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

Ill  the  evening  they  came  to  Onomichi  and 
went  ashore. 

It  was  not  until  the  next  morning  that  they 
could  go  to  the  fishing  hamlet. 

‘ ‘ Here  is  the  place  where  honorable  mother 
fell  by  the  wayside,”  Kei  said. 

To  a woman  whom  they  met  Kesa  said, 

“This  is  Kei,  who  used  to  live  here,  and  we 
have  come  to  get  news  of  her  brother  Nantaro.” 

“ Only  a few  days  ago,”  said  the  woman,  “ we 
had  news  of  Nantaro.” 

“ Do  you  know  where  he  is  ?” 

kaivaiso  P'*  said  the  woman;  “he  is  in 
prison  for  a great  robbery.” 

“In  what  prison?”  asked  Kesa. 

“In  Hiroshima.” 

Kei  heard  this  sad  news,  and  yet  she  rejoiced; 
not  because  he  was  in  prison,  but  because  she 
knew  where  to  find  him,  and  could  go  to  him  and 
tell  him  of  peace  and  pardon  through  Jesus. 

The  two  travellers  remained  in  the  hamlet  all 
night,  and  Kei  talked  with  her  old  friends  and 
promised  to  return  and  tell  them  more. 

The  next  day  they  went  back  to  Onomichi 
and  took  another  little  steamer  for  Hiroshima. 

The  next  morning  they  came  to  the  little 
island  Ujina,  clambered  down  the  side  of  the 
steamer  into  a small  boat,  and  were  rowed  to  the 
shore. 


the:  home  and  the  prison. 


393 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  HOME  AND  THE  PRISON. 

On  landing,  Kesa  and  Kei  climbed  up  on  a 
high  bank,  on  one  side  of  which  were  fields,  with 
mountains  in  the  distance,  and  on  the  other  a 
river,  whose  clear  waters,  rippling  over  the  sandy 
bottom,  seemed  in  the  sunshine  to  flow  over  orold- 
en  sands.  Coarse  grass,  reeds,  and  rushes  grew 
on  the  water’s  edge,  and  the  wind  murmured 
gently  through  them.  The  tide  was  full,  and 
fishing-boats  were  going  out  to  sea. 

“Ah,”  said  Kei,  pointing  out  an  island  higher 
and  bluer  than  the  rest,  “that  is  Itsukushima,  or 
Miajima,  the  Beautiful.” 

“ It  is  one  of  the  seven  places  in  Japan  noted 
for  beauty.  I have  read  about  it  and  have  seen 
pictures  of  it,”  said  Kesa. 

Some  of  the  hills  about  Hiroshima  were  but 
dimly  visible  through  the  mist ; others  stood  out 
clear  and  distinct;  the  islands  rising  out  of  the 
sea  looked  themselves  like  mountains.  The  views 
were  wondrously  fair,  and  Kesa  thought  of  Chiye, 
and  wished  that  she  too  could  enjoy  that  bright 
morninof  view. 

“ Look  at  these  beautiful  fishes,”  said  Kesa. 

Some  men  were  passing,  carrying  large  bas- 


394 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


kets  filled  with  fish  of  most  exquisite  colors.  Some 
were  all  silver,  some  silver  tinged  with  beautiful 
pinks  and  blues,  and  some  a golden  red.  In  the 
fields  to  the  left  grew  egg-plants  and  sugar-pota- 
toes; and  pumpkin-vines  with  bright  yellow  flow- 
ers trailed  along  the  ground. 

But  as  they  gazed  on  all  these  beauties  they 
saw  a gang  of  prisoners  in  flesh-colored  garments 
coming  across  the  field,  and  Kei  turned  aside  her 
head. 

“ How  shall  we  find  the  sensei V'‘  asked  Kesa. 

Dogu^  there  are  few  foreigners  in  Hiroshima; 
we  can  inquire.” 

A laborer  was  coming  towards  them,  carrying 
a large  rope  and  a basket. 

“ O hayo^''''  said  Kei,  accosting  him. 

‘ ‘ O hayo^  ’ ’ returned  the  man.  ‘ ‘ Where  are 
you  going?” 

“Thanks,  we  are  looking  for  the  honorable 
foreigners’  home,”  answered  Kei. 

“Ah,”  said  the  man,  pointing  to  the  roof  of  a 
quaint  old  Japanese  house  just  ahead  of  them, 
“you  will  find  the  honorable  strangers  in  that 
house.” 

“Thanks,  truly,”  said  Kei,  and  she  and  Kesa 
walked  rapidly  on. 

A flight  of  stone  steps  led  from  the  bank  down 
to  the  gateway.  Entering  the  gates,  they  passed 
on  towards  the  house.  But  before  they  reached 
the  door  Kesa  heard  a familiar  voice  in  the  gar- 


THE  HOME  AND  THE  PRISON. 


395 


cleii  on  the  other  side  of  the  enclosure.  Saisei  ! 
sensei  r'‘  she  cried,  and  in  a moment  stood  beside 
her  beloved  teacher. 

When  the  first  excitement  of  meeting  was 
over,  the  travellers  were  taken  into  the  house 
and  a warm  breakfast  was  given  them.  Kesa 
told  of  her  refusal  to  marry  Susumi  and  of  her 
running  away  from  her  father;  and  Kei  told  how 
she  had  heard  that  her  brother  was  in  prison  in 
Hiroshima,  and  that  she  could  not  rest  until  she 
had  seen  him. 

Then  said  Mr.  Severing,  the  missionary,  •“! 
will  go  with  Kei  to  the  authorities  and  see  if  we 
can  gain  admittance  to  the  prison.” 

So  they  went  off,  and  Kesa  and  the  teacher 
were  glad  to  be  left  together. 

“I  must  show  you  my  house  and  garden  first, 
Kesa,”  said  Mrs.  Levering.  “It  reminds  me 
somewhat  of  your  father’s  house  and  garden  in 
Tokio,  only  it  is  not  kept  so  nicely.” 

It  was  a strange,  rambling  old  house,  built  for 
a noble  of  the  olden  time,  and  containing  many 
rooms  which  were  never  used. 

“This  is  my  bedroom;  you  will  think  it  a per- 
fect labyrinth.” 

Mrs.  Levering  pushed  open  the  slides  and  they 
entered  a narrow  place  that  suddenly  widened 
into  a square,  eight  feet  each  way,  which  formed 
the  main  part  of  the  room.  The  windows  were 
of  paper,  and  for  protection  against  thieves  there 


396 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


were  bamboo  bars,  whicli  looked  very  frail  in- 
deed. The  third  division  of  the  room/ was  a 
closet,  with  a board  floor  nicely  polished,  and 
an  inner  closet  with  sliding  doors.  Then  there 
was  a dressing  and  bath  room. 

I should  think  you  would  not  find 
this  very  comfortable,”  said  Kesa. 

“Oh,  it  is  comfortable  enough.  I rather  like 
the  slides.  There  are  no  doors  slamming  and 
swinging  on  their  hinges.  The  only  door  in 
the  house  on  hinges  is  this  one,”  pointing  to  the 
bath-room  door,  “and  this  is  where  I saw  the 
ghost.  ’ ’ 

“ Sensei 

“True,  Kesa.  One  morning  I hung  a .sheet 
over  this  door  and  forgot  it.  When  I came  back 
in  the  evening  I saw  this  tall  white  thing  moving 
silently  to  and  fro,  and  it  was  a moment  or  two 
before  I fully  comprehended  that  it  was  the  sheet 
hanging  on  the  door.  I thought  it  a veritable 
Japanese  ghost,  like  the  one  Hono  saw.” 

Kesa  laughed  merrily. 

0\\^  sensei P''  she  suddenly  cried.  There  be- 
fore her  on  the  washstand  was  an  enormous  spi- 
der, and  creeping  over  the  walls  were  two  or 
three  lizards. 

“Well,  I have  found  that  these  things  are 
harmless,”  said  Mrs.  Levering.  “At  first  I was 
terribly  afraid  of  them,  but  now  I watch  the  rats 
playing  on  the  rafters  above  my  head  and  see 


THE  HOME  AND  THE  PRISON. 


397 


these  spiders  ranning  around  without  fear,  and 
can  toueh  one  of  those  cold,  slimy  lizards  in  the 
dark  without  screaming.  But  the  worst  things 
are  the  little  worms  whieh  eat  our  bamboo  chairs, 
and  in  the  summer  the  mosquitoes  are  terrible,  I 
am  told.” 

“ How  the  furniture  sinks  into  the  mats,  sen- 
sei ^ 

“ Yes,  Kesa;  beds,  tables,  and  chairs  are  sadly 
out  of  plaee  in  a Japanese  house,  but  we  cannot 
do  without  them.” 

“This  is  our  cellar,”  said  the  teacher,  taking 
Kesa  into  a dark  apartment  in  which  were 
hanging-shelves.  On  the  shelves  were  covered 
stone  jars,  the  lids  of  which  were  held  down  by 
bricks,  flat-irons,  and  every  available  heavy 
thing. 

“ You  see  we  have  to  protect  ourselves  against 
rats,”  said  Mrs.  Levering. 

Dog7iP^  said  Kesa. 

Then  they  went  into  the  kitchen,  which  con- 
tained a range  and  an  oven  for  baking  bread,  and 
from  there  into  the  dining-room,  furnished  with 
table  and  chairs. 

The  sitting-room  had  a little  stove  in  it  and 
some  glass  slides,  and  opened  on  a long  veranda, 
very  much  like  that  of  the  B'ujisawa  mansion  in 
Tokio.  There  was  a cabinet-organ  in  one  cor- 
ner, and  there  were  book-shelves,  tables,  chairs, 
pictures,  and  other  things  which  gave  the  room 


398 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


quite  a liome-like  appearance  in  the  eyes  of  the 
missionaries  in  this  far-away  land. 

“We  will  go  out  into  the  garden  before  we 
have  our  talk  up  stairs,”  said  the  teacher;  and 
she  and  Kesa  went  and  stood  by  the  side  of  the 
lotus  pond. 

The  wind  was  swaying  the  immense  leaves 
gently,  and  they  were  bowing  like  so  many  Jap- 
anese. A little  arched  bridge  crossed  the  lotus 
pond,  and  Kesa  and  her  teacher  went  over  it  to  a 
bamboo  grove.  The  place  was  charming.  The 
sunshine  crept  in  and  out  between  the  leaves, 
which,  like  those  of  the  lotus,  moved  in  the  slight- 
est breeze.  Azalea  bushes  with  pretty,  delicate 
flowers  made  the  garden  attractive ; and  there 
were  artificial  hillocks,  with  stones  scattered  here 
and  there  over  them.  Under  the  bamboos  down 
by  the  pond,  hidden  by  the  coarse  grass  and 
leaves,  twining  over  the  bushes  and  clinging  to 
the  trees,  grew  vines  of  many  varieties,  and  in  the 
low,  damp  places  were  ferns  and  ivy. 

“I  like  the  garden,”  said  Kesa  simply  as  they 
turned  and  went  into  the  house. 

Mrs.  Levering  led  Kesa  to  the  one  room  in 
the  upper  story  and  drew  aside  the  slides.  The 
view  was  magnificent.  Everywhere  the  plain 
was  bounded  by  mountains  or  mountainous  isl- 
ands, and  Kesa  could  catch  a glimpse  of  the  river 
and  watch  the  clouds  in  their  ceaseless  changes 
and  the  lights  and  shadows  on  the  hillside. 


THE  HOME  AND  THE  PRISON.  399 

Kesa  and  her  teacher  sat  quietly  for  a while. 
At  last  Kesa  raised  her  eyes  to  l\Irs.  L-evering’s 
face,  and  in  answer  to  their  mute  pleading  the 
teacher  said, 

“ Now,  dear  child,  tell  me  all  about  it.” 

“Oh,  sensei^  I could  not  marry  the  man,  and 
so  I came  away.” 

“But,  Kesa,  your  father  can  find  you  and  | 
compel  you  to  return.” 

“ Yes,  sensei^  but  I hoped  he  would  think 
about  it  and  not  insist  on  it.” 

“ Did  Chive  advise  you  to  come?” 

“No,  sensei;  but  she  and  the  mother  and 
Mitsu  helped  me  to  get  ready.” 

“ How  is  it  with  your  own  heart,  Kesa?” 

Dogu^  sensei^  I cannot  feel  happy.  I liave 
been  angry  with  my  father  and  I hated  my  aunt. 
Why  cannot  I be  like  Chiye?” 

“ Dear  Kesa,  I hope  there  are  better  things  in 
store  for  you.  Will  you  put  yourself  under  my 
guidance  and  do  what  I ask  ?” 

“Yes,  sensei^  if  I can.” 

“Then  sit  down  and  write  a letter  to  your 
father  and  tell  him  where  you  are  and  why  you 
went  away;  and  try  to  put  anger  and  hatred  out  of 
your  heart  while  you  write.  Will  you  do  this?” 

‘ ‘ Y es,  sensei.  ’ ’ 

Kesa  was  supplied  with  materials  and  began 
her  writing;  Mrs.  Levering  took  up  her  needle- 
work, and  the  room  was  quiet  again. 


403 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“ I have  finished,  sensei^'''  said  Kesa  at  length, 
and  proceeded  to  read  her  letter. 

“Honorable  Father:  Compliments,  com- 
pliments. 

“ I beg  your  honorable  forgiveness  for  running 
away  from  my  home.  I could  not  marry  that 
man.  Oh,  honorable  father,  please  do  not  make 
me.  And  do  not  think  it  is  because  I am  a Chris- 
tian that  I ran  away.  ]\Iy  heart  is  hard  and  heavy 
and  I am  not  a Christian.  Mitsu  is  a Christian 
and  she  does  what  you  tell  her  to  do.  Chiye  is  a 
Christian  and  she  submits  quietly  to  your  honor- 
able will.  But  pity  your  poor  Kesa  and  do  not 
make  her  marry  that  man.  Please,  compliments, 
compliments. 

KESA  FUJISAWA. 

“At  Hiroshima.” 

“That  will  do  nicely,  Kesa,  and  now  I have 
something  for  you.  Did  you  think  I was  not  ex- 
pecting you  ?” 

Mrs.  Levering  put  a letter  in  Kesa’s  hands. 

“It  is  from  Chiye,”  she  said  as  she  took  it, 
and  burst  into  tears. 

It  was  written  in  English  and  was  the  first 
word  she  had  had  from  home.  Thus  it  read: 

“ Dear  Sister:  You  will  want  to  know'  how' 
we  all  are  at  home.  The  father  not  know  you 
have  gone  for  two  days.  Then  he  ask,  ‘ Where  is 
Kesa  ?’  and  I tell  him  that  you  have  gone  aw'ay. 
He  say  nothing,  but  his  face  grow  very  black  and 


THE  HOME  AND  THE  PRISON.  4OI 

he  go  away.  For  three  days  now  he  say 
nothing  at  all,  but  is  always  quiet,  and  we  do 
not  know  what  to  think.  But  he  not  try  to  find 
you. 

“The  mother  is  very  sad,  but  she  never  say 
she  sorry  you  go  away;  and  sometimes  I read  the 
Bible  to  her. 

“ Dear  sister,  we  miss  you.  Mitsu  and  I want 
our  dearest  sister.  We  talk  often  how  you  com- 
fort us  when  you  come  and  sit  beside  us  when 
we  feel  sick  or  sad.  And  every  day  we  pray, 

* Lord  Jesus,  bless  Kesa  and  bring  her  back;  but 
oh,  soften  her  heart  and  make  her  a Christian  !’ 
And  we  know  God  will  hear  our  prayer. 

“We  send  much  love  to  you. 

“ Your  loving  sisters, 

“MITSU  AND  CHIYE  FUJISAWA.” 

Mrs.  Levering  said  nothing  as  she  listened  to 
Kesa’s  passionate  sobs  after  reading  this  letter. 
She  let  her  weep  on,  and  prayed  God  to  comfort 
her.  Her  own  letter  from  Chiye  had  touched  her 
very  soul,  with  its  strong  faith  in  the  midst  of 
this  hour  of  trouble  and  its  fulness  of  love  and 
pity.  “Surely  Chiye  Fujisawa  is  a Christian  if 
ever  one  lived  on  this  earth,”  she  thought. 

“ Seal  your  letter  now,  and  we  will  take  it  to 
the  postoffice,”  said  Mrs.  Levering  gently  and 
firmly  to  Kesa  after  a time. 

The  letter  was  sealed  and  directed,  and  as  they 
walked  to  the  postoffice  they  talked  on  indifferent 

Kesa  aiul  Saijiro.  2 3 


402  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

subjects  and  discussed  the  beauties  of  the  land- 
scape. 

When  they  returned  to  the  house  they  found 
Kei.  She  had  been  weeping,  indeed,  but  joy 
shone  in  her  eyes.  Sick  and  in  prison,  after  a life 
of  desperate  crime,  she  had  found  Nantaro,  and 
although  he  turned  away  from  her  at  first,  he  had 
at  last  talked  with  her  and  seemed  softened. 

“He  must  serve  his  time  out,  and  at  the  end 
receive  that  dreadful  flogging,”  said  Kei,  and  she 
shuddered.  “But  then  I shall  have  him,  and  I 
will  teach  him  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  of  how  his 
blood  can  cleanse  us  from  all  sin.” 


JINRIKISHA  RIDES. 


403 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

JINRIKISHA  RIDES. 

“While  you  are  waiting  for  an  answer  to 
your  letter  we  will  take  some  peeps  at  this  beauti- 
ful country,”  said  Mrs.  Levering  to  Kesa  the 
next  morning. 

So  in  the  afternoon  Tom,  the  horse,  was 
brought  to  the  gate  all  saddled  and  bridled,  ready 
for  the  missionary  to  ride,  and  jinrikishas  were 
called  for  the  ladies,  while  all  the  children  in  the 
neighborhood  assembled  to  see  the  “honorable 
foreigners  ’ ’ start  out. 

“ Have  there  never  been  any  foreigners  down 
in  this  part  of  the  country  before,  sensei V''  asked 
Kesa,  as  she  noted  the  eager,  expectant  look  on 
the  dirty  little  faces. 

“Very  few,  Kesa.  An  English  gentleman 
was  here  with  his  family  for  a while,  but  the  peo- 
ple are  not  much  accustomed  to  foreigners.” 

The  shafts  were  lifted,  and  Tom  was  all  ready 
for  a start;  and  then  began  a race  between  the 
coolies,  the  horse,  and  the  children,  the  latter  be- 
ing at  last  outstripped. 

They  looked  like  little  savages.  Some  had 
very  scanty  clothing,  and  others  none  at  all.  One 
boy  seemed  like  a very  imp  of  mischief,  and  Kesa 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


404 

watched  him  with  some  interest  as  he  stood  now 
on  his  head  and  now  on  his  feet;  then,  gathering 
up  his  dress,  he  would  start  off  on  a run,  and  at 
last  Kesa,  thinking  he  was  left  far  behind,  turned 
to  see  him  breathless  and  grinning  at  a turn  of  the 
road. 

The  friends  were  going  to  Nigitsu,  the  finest 
temple  in  the  city.  They  passed  through  some  of 
the  most  crowded  streets,  and  then  crossed  a lone 
bridge  and  came  to  a part  less  densely  populated. 
To  the  left  was  a canal,  with  great  cedar-trees  on 
its  banks.  Above  was  the  blue,  cloudless  sky, 
and  all  around  were  hills  upon  hills  and  islands 
upon  islands.  Oh,  the  beauty  of  these  southern 
winter  days  ! with  sunshine  warm  enough  to  give 
heat  to  the  old  people,  who  sit  out  of  doors  in 
preference  to  shivering  over  charcoal  braziers  in 
the  house. 

The  entrance  to  Nigitsu  was  beautiful.  From 
the  soft  turf  rose  great  cedar-trees,  and  at  inter- 
vals under  them  were  placed  huge  stone  lanterns. 
The  gateway  was  ornamented  with  the  usual 
gilding  and  carving;  it  was  very  old;  its  build- 
ers had  long  been  sleeping  in  the  Buddhist  grave- 
yard. 

“What  a magnificent  pavement!”  said  Mrs. 
Levering,  as  they  went  up  to  the  old  unsightly 
temple,  the  walls  of  which  were  crumbling  away. 

“Why  is  it  that  these  people,  with  so  much 
building  material  around  them,  do  not  build  bet- 


JINRIKISIIA  RIDES. 


405 


ter  houses?”  asked  the  missionary,  as  they  looked 
at  the  blocks  of  granite  and  the  decaying  mud. 

Having  seen  Nigitsu,  the  party  took  horse  and 
jinrikishas  again  for  Iwahana.  Out  of  the  town, 
past  rows  of  tumble-down  cottages  in  the  out- 
skirts, into  a pleasant  road  with  hills  on  one  side 
and  a clear  stream  on  the  other,  rolled  the  jinriki- 
shas until  the  coolies  dropped  the  shafts  at  a little 
tea-house  opposite  Iwahana. 

“ Do  you  know  what  Iwahana  means,  sensei?^'' 
inquired  Kesa. 

“Yes;  rock-flower,  Kesa;  and  very  pretty  it 
is  too.” 

On  the  hill  were  rocks  lying  scattered  about, 
and  from  these  the  hill  derived  its  name.  There 
were  other  flowers  beside  the  ‘ ‘ rock-flowers  ’ ’ there, 
and  the  whole  party  climbed  the  steep  ascent,  and 
came  down  with  hands  fllled  with  bright  blossoms 
and  leaves  of  red  sumach. 

“ How  beautiful  it  all  is,”  said  Mrs.  Levering 
as  they  started  off  again. 

They  turned  into  a lane  skirted  with  hedges, 
and  passed  pretty  little  farmhouses  almost  hidden 
in  the  foliage.  Then  they  went  far  out  into  the 
fields,  where  men,  women,  and  children  were  at 
work. 

“What  long  distances  your  people  walk. 
They  could  not  do  that  in  America,  where  it  is  so 
far  from  one  town  to  another,  with  no  tea-houses 
scattered  between.” 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


406 


A mist  filled  the  valley  as  they  went  home, 
but  it  seemed  to  make  everything  even  more 
beautiful  as  it  lifted  to  disclose  now  a mountain 
and  now  a gleam  of  shining  water. 

DogicP^  said  Kei,  out  of  breath. 

Two  or  three  days  had  passed,  and  the  friends 
were  climbing  some  steps  cut  in  a steep  hillside, 
going  up  to  a temple. 

“What  are  those  little  sticks  with  papers  for?” 
asked  Mrs.  Levering. 

“There  are  prayers  written  on  the  papers,” 
said  Kei;  and  Mrs.  Levering  noted  the  Chinese 
characters  on  every  one. 

The  temple,  which  they  gained  after  some  hard 
climbing,  was  on  a ledge  just  about  large  enough 
to  hold  it.  From  three  sides  they  could  look  down 
a precipice. 

Climbing  still  higher  up  the  steep  hillside, 
they  at  last  gained  a point  from  which  the  islands 
burst  upon  their  view. 

“There  is  Miajima,”  said  Kesa. 

“Yes;  we  can  always  tell  it  by  its  blueness 
and  its  three  curves,”  said  the  teacher. 

“ Did  you  ever  walk  011  such  hollow  ground 
before?”  asked  Mr.  Levering. 

It  did  indeed  seem  almost  as  though  it  might 
give  way  beneath  their  feet. 

“How  do  you  account  for  it,  Lynn?”  Mrs. 
Levering  inquired. 

“Only  by  supposing  that  there  are  lava-beds 


JIXRIKISHA  RIDES.  407 

under  us.  You  can  see  the  effects  of  ancient  fires 
over  there.” 

The  descent  was  very  difficult,  but  at  last,  af- 
ter sliding  and  slipping  several  times,  they  reached 
the  jinrikishas  and  Tom,  and  were  off  again. 

“ Towards  the  sunrising,”  called  the  mission- 
ary to  the  coolies,  and  away  they  went  to  the  cas- 
tle, across  a bridge,  and  by  the  side  of  the  river. 
Then  turning  to  the  east,  they  came  to  a broad 
road  and  rolled  along  under  grand  cedars.  An- 
other turn,  and  they  saw  before  them  an  oddly 
shaped  hill.  And  so  the  jinrikishas  went  wind- 
ing in  and  out  among  the  hills  until  they  reached 
the  rice-fields.  Here  the  road  was  so  rough  that 
the  ladies  all  preferred  walking  to  enduring  the 
jolting  of  the  springless  jinrikishas.  Next  came 
a bamboo  grove,  the  sunlight  glancing  through 
the  leaves. 

Some  people  came  out  of  their  houses  to  see 
the  foreign  lady  walking  through  the  fields. 

“The  people  down  here  are  afraid  of  us,  Ke- 
sa,”  said  Mrs.  Levering;  “they  think  we  will  be- 
witch them;”  and  Kesa  smiled  to  see  a woman 
pulling  her  husband  into  the  house. 

In  the  afternoon  they  came  to  a temple.  Kesa 
counted  a hundred  steps  as  they  toiled  up  to  it. 

“I  wonder  why  the  Japanese  put  their  temple^ 
in  such  high  places,”  said  the  missionary. 

“ Do  they  think  there  is  any  merit  in  climbing 
up  to  them,  Kei?”  asked  Mrs.  Levering. 


4o8  kHsa  and  saijiro. 

Dogu^  yes,  honorable  answered  Kei. 

‘‘They  can  climb  np  and  down  a certain  number 
of  times,  and  thus  do  penance.” 

“ The  view  is  certainly  grand,”  said  the  mis- 
sionary, as  they  stood  on  the  edge  of  a precipice 
and  looked  over  the  country.  Rivers,  hills, 
islands,  plains  were  spread  out  in  one  grand  pano- 
rama before  them. 

For  the  next  few  days  there  was  a storm  of 
wind  and  rain  which  kept  them  all  in  the  house. 

Kesa  felt  the  time  pass  a little  heavily,  so  she 
was  glad  to  awake  one  morning  and  find  the  sun 
shining  brightly,  with  only  a few  soft  white  clouds 
floating  lazily  in  the  sky. 

“Now  for  our  trip  to  Hijiyama,”  said  Mrs. 
Levering  at  the  noon  meal. 

So  the  jinrikishas  were  called,  and  they  were 
soon  making  their  way  over  the  bridges  and  across 
the  fields  to  Hiji  hill. 

The  hill  was  very  steep,  and  at  its  foot  the 
coolies  let  down  the  shafts.  The  ascent  had  to  be 
made  on  foot.  It  was  hard  climbing,  but  the  road 
was  exceedingly  beautiful.  On  one  side  of  the 
narrow  footpath  there  was  an  abrupt  descent,  and 
on  the  other  the  hill  towered  above  them.  Trees, 
shrubs,  and  grasses  were  of  the  richest  green,  and 
occasional  rocks  gave  variety  to  the  coloring.  At 
the  feet  of  the  climbers  and  on  all  the  hillside 
bloomed  quantities  of  wild  flowers. 

“Let  us  stop  and  see  this  little  cemetery,” 


JINRIKISHA  RIDES. 


409 

called  Mr.  Levering,  who  was  acting  as  guide,  to 
the  climbers  behind  him  ; and  they  all  went  in 
to  wander  for  a time  among  the  graves.  The 
tombstones  were  of  handsome  granite,  and  not 
crowded  together  as  the  stones  in  the  Buddhist 
cemeteries  usually  are. 

On  one  granite  stone  Kei  read,  ‘^To  my  eldest 
son.”  The  eldest  son  is  the  most  important  mem- 
ber of  a Japanese  family.  He  is  hon- 

orable brother,  to  the  younger  children,  and  his 
father’s  hope  and  heir. 

On  other  graves  hung  straw  sandals,  and  on 
children’s  graves  toys  were  placed.  The  Japanese 
fill  the  children’s  coffins  with  their  playthings; 
and  in  former  times  the  young  samurai  took  with 
him  into  the  grave  his  little  sword. 

“Ah,”  said  Mrs.  Levering  suddenly,  “here  is 
something  homelike;”  and  she  pointed  to  a stone 
on  which  was  written  in  English,  “Fell  asleep  in 
Jesus.” 

It  marked  the  grave  of  a little  English  child, 
whose  mother  had  to  go  far  away  when  the  fa- 
ther’s engagement  at  the  Government  school  in 
Hiroshima  terminated. 

“His  mother  in  England  must  often  think  of 
her  baby  lying  here,”  said  Mrs.  Levering;  and 
they  lingered  a while  near  the  baby’s  grave  and 
laid  some  flowers  upon  it. 

The  view  which  greeted  theii  eyes  from  the 
top  of  the  hill  fully  repaid  them  for  all  their  toil. 


4^0  KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

It  was  more  beautiful  than  anything  they  had 
seen  before,  and  they  stood  for  a long  time  ga- 
zing on  the  entrancing  scene. 

The  place  where  they  tarried  was  a soldiers’ 
cemetery.  One  stone  was  cut  into  a beautiful 
urn,  while  others  were  cubes  and  others  still  were 
small  shafts;  in  all  were  hollow  places  for  hold- 
ing water,  and  in  many  of  them  were  fresh 
flowers. 

“The  Japanese  bring  flowers  to  the  graves  of 
their  loved  ones  as  we  do,”  said  Mrs.  Levering. 

“ It  reminds  me  of  an  extract  I found  the  other 
day,”  said  her  husband;  “ I will  read  it  while  we 
are  resting : 

“ ‘Do  not  keep  the  alabaster  boxes  of  your  love 
and  tenderness  sealed  until  your  friends  are  dead. 
Fill  their  lives  with  sweetness.  Speak  approving, 
cheering  words  while  their  ears  can  hear  them 
and  while  their  hearts  can  be  thrilled  by  them. 
The  thing  you  mean  to  say  when  they  are  gone, 
say  before  they  go.  The  flowers  you  mean  to 
send  to  their  cofflns,  send  to  brighten  and  sweeten 
their  homes  before  they  leave  them.  I would 
rather  have  a coffin  without  a flower,  and  a fu- 
neral without  a eulogy,  than  a life  without  the 
sweetness  of  love  and  sympathy.’  ” 

But  the  darkness  drove  them  home.  The  hill- 
side was  all  quiet  as  they  went  down;  no  sound  of 
human  voices  reached  their  ears. 


A SABBATH  IN  HIROSHIMA. 


41I 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

A SABBATH  IN  HIROSHIMA. 

The  Sabbath  is  not  entirely  disregarded 
through  the  Japanese  Empire.  It  is  a holiday. 
Few  indeed  among  the  people  of  Hiroshima  un- 
derstood its  saeredness,  but  it  was  an  advantage 
to  the  missionary  to  have  it  observed  to  the  extent 
of  being  an  official  and  school  holiday.  It  gave 
the  officers  and  pupils  leisure  for  study  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  the  old  daimio^s  house  became 
the  resort  of  those  who  wished  to  study  the  Jesus- 
way. 

One  summer  evening,  when  the  rain  had  been 
pouring  down  all  day,  and  the  missionary  had 
given  up  all  thought  of  any  more  guests  and  had 
shut  up  the  house  for  the  night,  he  heard  the 
familiar  call  at  the  door,  and  opened  it  to  admit 
a grave-looking  man  of  pleasing  appearance.  He 
had  come  up  in  the  rain  from  the  village.  His 
parents  were  Buddhists,  bitterly  opposed  to  the 
teachings  of  the  foreigners,  but  he  had  heard  of 
the  new  religion  and  had  come  to  learn  for  him- 
self. Since  then,  during  the  fall  and  winter  even- 
ings, after  the  lamps  were  lighted  and  when  the 
fire  was  crackling  in  the  stove,  a little  company 
of  learners  had  gathered  around  the  table  in  the 


412 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


sitting-room  to  study  about  Jesus.  The  stranger 
who  came  in  the  summer  rain  attended  faithfully 
himself,  and  sometimes  brought  others.  Then 
Bible-classes  for  Sabbath  mornings  were  started 
and  a preaching  service  was  asked  for.  Thus  was 
the  way  opened  for  proclaiming  the  gospel  in  Hi- 
roshima. 

All  this  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Levering  told  to  Kei 
and  Kesa  the  Sunday  after  they  reached  Hiro- 
shima. 

Several  men  from  the  village,  with  Owada, 
Masuda,  Imai,  and  Noda,  young  men  from  the 
Government  school,  came  in  to  the  Bible-lesson, 
and  the  morning  passed  pleasantly. 

They  were  just  beginning  the  study  of  Gene- 
sis, and  Iwada  read  in  Japanese, 

“In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven 
and  the  earth.” 

“Ah,  Mr.  Iwada,”  said  the  missionary,  “the 
almighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father,  created  the 
world.  Is  this  any  harder  to  accept  than  your 
old  belief  that  ‘ Isanagi  ’ made  it?” 

“No,  sensei.  There  are  many  ridiculous  sto- 
ries connected  with  Isanagi  that  Japanese  who  are 
not  Christians  do  not  believe,”  answered  Iwada. 

They  read  on  how  God  made  the  light  and 
the  expanse  of  heaven,  the  dry  land  and  the  seas, 
the  grass  and  trees,  the  lights  of  heaven,  fish  and 
reptiles  and  birds,  the  beasts,  and  last  of  all  man, 
and  made  them  all  “very  good.” 


A SABBATH  IN  HIROSHIMA.  413 

“ Is  there  anything  unworthy  of  our  belief  in 
all  this,  Mr.  Owada?” 

“No,”  answered  the  young  student. 

“I  wish  more  of  our  people  would  come  and 
learn  these  truths,”  said  one  of  the  men  from  the 
town. 

“What  does  this  mean,  sensei  asked  Noda, 
and  he  read,  “And  God  created  man  in  his  own 
image.” 

“It  refers,”  said  the  missionary,  “ to  the  spirit 
of  man,  which  God  made  to  bear  a likeness  to  him- 
self in  its  power  to  know  and  think  and  will  and 
love,  but  especially  in  the  holiness  of  its  thinking 
and  willing  and  loving.  Made  thus  in  the  image 
of  God,  man  at  first  knew  and  loved  and  obeyed 
God.  How  he  lost  this  holy  likeness  to  God  by 
disobedience  we  shall  see  in  another  lesson.  When 
we  learn  that  man  was  made  to  know  and  delight 
in  God  we  cannot  wonder  that  now  he  is  restless 
and  dissatisfied  until  he  finds  Him.” 

“No,  sensei;  many  of  the  Japanese  feel  so,” 
said  Noda. 

The  young  men  were  much  interested  in  the 
lesson  and  promised  to  think  of  it  all  at  home. 

In  the  afternoon  Kesa  and  Mrs.  Levering  sat 
for  a while  on  the  upper  veranda.  For  miles  and 
miles  around  them  in  every  direction,  in  the  val- 
leys and  on  the  islands  of  the  Inland  Sea,  were  the 
heathen  people  bowing  to  their  false  gods  and 
worshipping  their  graven  images. 


4H 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


“x\re  3'ou  not  lonely'  sometimes,  sensei?^'* 
asked  Kesa. 

“ Yes,  Kesa,  sometimes.  No  one  can  be  thus 
far  away  from  home  and  friends  and  not  feel 
lonel)".  Sometimes  I even  long  for  the  storms  and 
cold  of  northern  climates  and  dream  of  ice  and 
snow.  Bat  how  is  it  with  3^011,  Kesa  ?” 

“Oh,  sensei^  I do  long  sometimes  so  much  for 
my  home.  I hope  that  I shall  soon  get  a letter 
from  my  father  and  that  he  will  tell  me  that  I can 
come.  ’ ’ 

“ I hope  so,  dear.  But  I have  been  thinking 
to-da3",  sadh",  I fear,  of  Sabbaths  at  home,  of  our 
grand  churches  and  solemn  music,  and  of  how  the 
multitudes  go  up  to  worship.” 

“Would  you  ratlier  be  there  than  here,  sen- 
sei 

“No,  dear  child,”  was  the  hearty  repl3’. 

Mr.  Severing,  who  had  joined  them  while  his 
wife  was  speaking,  said,  “And  I too  have  been 
thinking  of  the  difference  between  Christian  life 
here  and  at  home,  and  I rather  like  this  phase 
better  than  that.  True,  we  cannot  go  up  to  the 
house  of  God  with  the  multitude,  have  our  souls 
uplifted  by  the  music  of  the  organ,  join  in  the 
singing,  or  bow  in  prayer  with  the  great  congrega- 
tion; but  we  can  as  certainh^  have  the  presence  of 
God,  and  our  religion  miist  be  real  heart-worship, 
without  li3’pocris3^;  there’s  no  room  for  that  here. 
When  I look  at  the  people  in  our  plain  churches, 


A SABBATH  IN  PIIROSHniA. 


4^5 


sitting  on  mats  or  on  rude  benches,  and  drinking 
in  so  eagerly  the  simple  word  of  life,  I cannot 
wish  for  more  luxury,  more  elaborate  display, 
more  learned  preaching.” 

“Ah,”  said  Mrs.  Levering  as  her  husband 
stopped  speaking,  “there  are  the  boys  coming  to 
sing.  Let  us  go  down  to  the  organ.” 

Soon  over  the  fields  floated  the  old  tunes,  “An- 
tioch ” and  “Coronation,”  as  both  Americans 
and  Japanese  joined  in  the  singing. 


4i6 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

A BEAUTIFUL  ISLE  OF  THE  SEA. 

“ Do  you  think  we  can  venture,  Lynn?” 

Mrs.  Levering  was  standing  at  the  gateway 
looking  anxiously  up  at  the  clouds.  Four  jin- 
rikishas  were  waiting,  and  the  missionaries,  with 
Kesa  and  Kei,  were  all  ready  for  a trip  to  Miaji- 
ina,  the  beautiful  island  down  the  coast. 

“ What  do>w/  think  about  it,  Julius  Caesar?” 
asked  the  missionary. 

“Julius  Caesar  ” was  a coolie  who  bore  a curi- 
ous resemblance  to  the  pictures  of  the  hero  of  that 
name  in  old  Roman  history.  He  now  looked 
wisely  at  the  clouds,  scratched  his  ear,  and  an- 
swered, Dogu^  honorable  master,  the  honorable 
rain  comes  not  down  to-day.” 

The  friends  had  relied  on  Julius  Caesar’s  favor- 
able prophecy  the  day  previous,  when  the  clouds 
looked  equally  threatening,  and  had  no  occasion 
to  regret  their  trust;  so  they  had  confidence  in 
him  again  and  started  off. 

After  crossing  several  long  bridges  and  riding 
over  some  pretty  fields  they  reached  the  little 
town  Kusatsu.  Here  a few  drops  fell,  followed 
shortly  by  a few  more,  and  at  last  the  rain  came 
down  in  torrents.  The  road  over  which  they 


A BEAUTIFUL  ISLE  OF  TIIE  SEA. 


4^7 


were  travelling  was  the  most  romantic  they  had 
yet  seen.  Even  in  the  pouring  rain  and  the  par- 
tially obseuring  mist  it  was  eharming.  On  one 
side  the  sea,  dark  and  stormy,  dashed  up  against 
the  shore;  on  the  other  towered  a mountain  half 
concealed  by  the  fog. 

The  roadway  itself  was  very  bad,  being  sandy 
and  full  of  holes.  It  seemed  as  though  it  would 
all  be  washed  away  at  no  very  distant  day.  At 
length  the  island  rose  before  them  like  an  im- 
mense sugar-loaf,  with  small  cedar-trees  growing 
on  its  steep  sides  in  strange  positions  and  at  nearly 
reo^ular  intervals. 

“It  is  trying  to  lose  so  much  of  the  beauty 
around  us,”  said  Mrs.  Levering,  as  they  went  on 
in  the  view-obscuring  storm,  through  green  fields, 
and  with  the  “everlasting  hills”  about  them. 

The  weather  was  forlorn  enough  when  they 
reaehed  the  place  where  they  were  to  take  a boat 
for  Miajima,  and  they  went  immediately  to  the 
landing. 

“How  much  for  a boat  to  Miajima?”  asked 
Mr.  Levering. 

“Seventy-five  cents,”  said  the  boatman. 

“I  will  give  you  thirty  cents,”  said  Mr.  Lev- 
ering. 

“Fifty  cents,”  said  the  boatman. 

But  the  charge  was  too  high,  and  the  whole 
party  went  to  the  hotel,  dried  their  clothes  as 
best  they  could,  and  ordered  dinner.  They  had 

Ketta  and  Satjlro.  27 


4i8  kesa  And  saijiro. 

rice  and  fisli  brought  them,  and  while  they  were 
eating  the  expected  message  came;  the  sailors 
would  go  for  thirty  cents. 

It  was  almost  dark  when  the  party  reached 
the  landing  to  cross  to  the  island,  and  the  gray, 
rough  water  did  not  look  inviting.  The  boat  was 
tolerably  large,  but  it  had  the  usual  low  cabin, 
into  which  they  crowded,  and  in  which  they  could 
not  stand  upright.  A single  lantern  swung  from 
the  cabin  roof. 

After  a time  the  moon  came  out  and  shone 
dimly  through  watery  clouds,  and  as  the  rain  had 
ceased,  the  party  crept  out  of  the  cabin  and  stood 
on  the  deck,  watching  the  scarcely  visible  shore 
and  the  dark  water.  It  was  a strange  scene. 
The  coolies,  as  they  worked  their  oars,  were  rap- 
idly chanting  a peculiar  strain  and  rocking  their 
almost  naked  bodies  backward  and  forward,  while 
ahead  loomed  Miajima,  growing  more  and  more 
distinct,  until  at  last  the  boat  struck  the  shore. 
A rope  was  thrown  out,  a plank  was  laid  down, 
and  the  travellers  crossed  over  and  were  in  Mia- 
jima. 

As  they  turned  to  go  up  the  hill  a deer  crossed 
their  path  and  Kesa  stopped  to  pet  it. 

“ How  tame  it  is,  sensei^''''  she  said. 

The  landlord  of  the  hotel  to  which  they  were 
going  went  out  to  meet  them,  politely  ushered 
them  into  the  best  room,  and  brought  tea  and 
cold  water. 


A BEAUTIFUL  ISLE  OE  THE  SEA.  419 

While  supper  was  being  prepared  the  travel- 
lers sat  on  the  veranda  and  viewed  the  place  as 
well  as  they  could  in  the  darkness. 

At  supper  they  talked  with  the  landlord  and 
landlady  about  Miajima  and  the  deer. 

They  passed  a comfortable  night  on  mattresses 
stuffed  with  cotton  and  placed  on  the  floor,  but  all 
night  long  the  rain  poured  in  torrents  on  the  roof 
and  ran  in  streams  from  the  eaves. 

In  the  morning  the  prospect  was  no  brighter. 
“ I do  not  fancy  being  shut  up  in  a Japanese  hotel 
all  day,”  said  Mrs.  I^evering;  but  the  words  were 
scarcely  uttered  when  there  came  a cheering  burst 
of  sunshine,  and  the  clouds  all  rolled  away. 

“Go  to  Momiji  first,”  the  landlord  advised. 

This  was  a grove  of  maples,  and  as  they  went 
towards  it  beautiful  views  greeted  their  eyes  in 
all  directions.  They  came  first  to  a place  where 
a rapid  mountain-stream  rushed  over  immense 
rocks,  making  tiny  cascades  and  whirlpools.  A 
bridge  crossed  the  stream,  and  the  friends  went 
over  the  bridge  and  clambered  down  on  the  rocks 
to  a little  tea-house  built  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream.  There  were  chairs  in  the  tea-house,  but 
they  all  preferred  sitting  in  Japanese  fashion  0:1 
the  floor,  so  as  to  be  near  the  water  as  it  came 
hurrying  and  tumbling  over  the  rocks.  At  the 
entrance  of  the  beautiful  grove  Momiji  was  an  old 
man  selling  toothpicks. 

“Please  buy,  honorable  foreigners,”  he  said 


420 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


as  the  missionaries  passed;  and  they  bought  some, 
the  old  man  assuring  them  that  they  were  medi- 
cated and  that  one  using  them  would  never  have 
toothache. 

The  next  visit  was  to  an  old  temple,  on  the 
walls  of  which  hung  some  curious  pictures,  and 
among  them  was  one  evidently  given  by  the 
Dutch.  It  was  a queer  old  picture,  and  they  all 
looked  at  it  with  a great  deal  of  interest.  A king 
and  queen  were  standing  by  the  seashore  with 
courtiers  and  maids  of  honor  behind  them,  and  a 
ship  under  full  sail  was  just  coming  into  port. 
The  picture  was  painted  in  brilliant  colors. 

“That  shows  that  we  are  in  the  country  of 
the  Dutchmen,”  said  Mr.  Levering,  referring  to 
the  long  residence  of  the  Dutch  in  that  part  of  the 
country. 

Then  they  clambered  down  some  stone  steps 
and  made  their  way  to  the  seashore,  to  see  the 
famous  torii^  or  bird-rest,  which  is  found  in  front 
of  the  temple  gates.  This  is  about  the  largest 
iorii  in  Japan.  When  the  tide  is  full  it  is  in  deep 
water,  but  at  this  time  it  stood  high  and  dry. 

“It  will  not  do  hot -to  stand  under  it,”  said 
Kesa;  so  off  came  her  wooden  clogs  and  short 
stockings,  and  she  waded  out  in  the  shallow 
water,  stood  under  the  torii^  looked  up  at  the 
massive  timbers,  and  smiled  at  the  friends  on  the 
shore. 

The  temple  to  which  this  torii  was  the  entrance 


A BHAUTIFUL  ISFK  OF  THE  SKA.  42 1 

was  the  most  curious  one  they  had  ever  seen.  At 
high  tide  it  also  is  in  the  water.  It  consists  en- 
tirely of  long  open  galleries  with  pictures  on  both 
sides.  Some  of  these  pictures  were  of  wood,  and 
carvings  of  animals  and  flowers  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  travellers. 

“Oh,  sensei^  here  is  another  Dutch  painting,” 
called  Kesa;  and  there,  indeed,  hung  another  one 
on  the  wall  beside  the  antiquities  of  Japan. 

At  the  end  of  the  last  gallery  was  a bright- 
eyed little  boy,  who  accosted  them  politely  and 
asked  them  to  buy  some  of  his  beans  to  feed  the 
deer.  Kesa  bought  some  for  a few  cash  and  let 
the  pretty  creatures  come  up  and  eat  out  of  her 
hand. 

But  the  day’s  bright  hours  were  hurrying 
away,  and  the  party  wished  to  reach  home  by 
nightfall.  So,  returning  to  the  pretty  hotel,  they 
called  for  a boat.  Strange  to  say,  although  the 
day  was  perfectly  clear,  the  sailors  had  a supersti- 
tion that  on  the  next  day  there  would  be  a great 
storm,  and  all  the  boats  were  put  away  in  antici- 
pation of  the  hurricane. 

It  was  some  time  before  the  men  could  be  per- 
suaded to  bring  out  a boat,  and  the  ladies  spent 
the  intervening  time  in  exploring  the  hotel  gar- 
den. At  last  a boat  was  obtained,  and  bidding 
farewell  to  the  kind  people  of  the  inn,  the  travel- 
lers started  homeward.  The  boat-ride  was  more 
pleasant  than  the  dark  voyage  of  the  night  before, 


422 


KKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


and  they  all  sat  on  top  of  the  cabin  and  watched 
the  magnificent  sunset. 

I wait  for  these  sunsets  every  day,  wonder- 
ing what  new  beauties  will  be  disclosed,”  said 
Mrs.  Levering,  as  they  watched  the  grand  display. 

Nearing  the  shore,  they  discovered  Julius 
Caesar  and  his  friends  waiting  for  them,  bowing 
and  smiling  on  the  breakwater. 

“Truly,  fine  weather,”  said  the  coolies. 

“Truly,  fine  weather,”  responded  the  travel- 
lers, as  they  took  their  places  in  the  jinrikishas. 

It  was  late  when  the  friends  reached  the  house 
by  the  river. 

“An  honorable  guest  has  arrived,”  said  one 
of  the  servants  as  they  entered  the  gates. 

Wondering  who  it  could  be,  they  went  into 
the  house,  and  Kesa  stood  face  to  face  with  her 
father. 


JIOMIv  ACxAIN. 


423 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
homp:  again. 

“ Honorable  father!” 

My  daughter!” 

Nothing  more  was  said,  and  the  low  bows  were 
very  formal,  but  Kesa,  looking  into  her  father’s 
eyes,  felt  that  all  was  right. 

“ It  is  in  answer  to  Mitsu’s  and  Chiye’s  pray- 
ers,” she  said  afterwards;  and  she  wept  as  she 
though^-  of  the  love  and  patience  of  her  sisters, 
the  real  affection  of  her  parents,  and  her  own  way- 
wardness and  ingratitude. 

“God  is  good  to  me,  seiisei^  God  is  good,”  she 
repeated  over  and  over;  and  Mrs.  Revering  in  her 
heart  thanked  the  Good  Shepherd  for  thus  fol- 
lowing his  sheep. 

“How  is  the  honorable  mother?  And  the 
honorable  sisters,  are  they  well?”  asked  Kesa  of 
her  father  when  the  first  salutations  were  over. 

“The  honorable  mother  and  the  honorable 
sisters  are  well,  my  daughter,  and  wait  for  your 
return,”  answered  Fujisawa. 

Then  the  missionary  and  his  wife  came  in  and 
welcomed  the  guest,  and  all  sat  down  to  a cheer- 
ful dinner,  served  partly  in  Japanese  and  partly  in 
American  style. 


IvKSA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


‘1^4 

The  few  days  that  Fujisawa  spent  in  Hiro- 
shima were  occupied  chiefly  in  going  about  the 
town,  in  which  he  was  much  interested.  He  and 
the  others  went  to  see  the  workmen  fashioninof 
umbrellas  and  immense  Chinese  lanterns.  They 
looked  at  the  castle,  and  went  again  to  visit  Ni- 
gitsu,  Iwahana,  and  beautiful  Hijiyama.  Mr. 
Fevering  told  Fujisawa  of  the  busy  work  in  the 
cotton-fields  during  the  previous  summer,  when 
all  the  people  were  gathering  cotton  and  the  whole 
town  was  white  with  the  snowy  balls. 

The  day  before  Kesa  and  her  father  went  away 
was  sad  for  them  all.  Kei’s  brother,  Nantaro, 
was  released  from  prison,  and  had  to  receive  his 
stripes.  From  the  house,  though  all  the  doors 
and  windows  were  closed,  they  could  hear  dis- 
tinctly the  sound  of  the  lash  and  the  cries  of  the 
victim.  Poor  Kei  shut  herself  in  her  room,  and 
rocked  to  and  fro  and  moaned,  as  the  sound  of  her 
brother’s  agony  reached  her  ears. 

said  the  indignant  Fujisawa,  ‘‘such 
punishments  are  abolished  by  law.” 

“I  thought  so,”  said  Mr.  Fevering,  “but  it 
seems  that  the  law  is  not  enforced  down  here.” 
Then  Fujisawa  told  them  of  the  great  reform 
in  the  prison  system  throughout  Japan,  and  gave 
some  details  of  the  horrors  of  Japanese  prisons  and 
punishments  in  former  days. 

“The  prisoners  were  crowded  together  in  fil- 
thy places  where  they  could  not  get  a breath  of 


HOME  AGAIX. 


425 


fresh  air,”  said  he;  “and  heads  were  cut  off  by 
the  dozen,  the  victims  kneeling  in  rows,  with 
hands  tied  behind  them,  each  awaiting  his  turn. 
Heads  were  placed  in  the  public  thoroughfares, 
where  all  could  see  them.” 

At  last  the  terrible  sounds  in  the  prison-yard 
were  over.  The  gentlemen  went  with  Kei  and 
took  charge  of  her  brother.  A bed  had  been  pre- 
pared, and  in  less  than  an  hour  Kei  sat  by  the  suf- 
ferer’s side,  happy  in  once  again  being  allowed  to 
minister  to  the  wants  of  her  beloved  Nantaro. 

The  leave-takings  were  cheerful  this  time; 
Kesa  felt  glad  to  go  home,  and  her  teacher  was 
thankful  and  hopeful  for  her.  As  the  boat  bore 
them  away  from  the  shore  Kesa’s  eyes  rested  for  a 
moment  on  the  glory  of  the  mountain-tops.  “It 
would  remind  Marion  of  the  ‘ City  of  God,’  ” she 
said  to  herself.  Then  she  called  her  father’s  at- 
tention to  some  fishermen  who  were  standing  in 
the  water  casting  their  nets.  They  passed  the 
little  island  Ujina.  The  water  was  bright  and 
sparkling;  all  the  hills  were  sunlit;  they  had  a 
pleasant  ride  over  a placid  sea,  and  in  due  time 
reached  the  steamer,  clambered  up  the  side,  and 
were  soon  going  rapidly  in  the  direction  of 
Kobe.  They  saw  the  pretty  city  Tomo  in  the 
morning,  stopped  at  a town  on  the  great  island  of 
Shikoku,  spent  a whole  day  again  among  the  lit- 
tle islands,  and  landed  in  Kobe  at  midnight. 
Then  a sea-trip  to  Yokohama,  a railroad  journey 


426 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


of  an  hour  to  Tokio,  a rattle  through  the  streets  of 
the  city  in  a jinrikisha,  and  Kesa  was  at  home 
again  with  her  dear  mother  and  sisters. 

“We  prayed  for  you  all  the  time,  Kesa,”  said 
Chiye. 

And  Kesa  answered,  “ I knew  it.” 

Saturday  afternoon  had  come,  and  Saijiro  and 
Harukichi  were  in  the  little  room  that  they  had 
occupied  together  for  so  long. 

Saijiro  was  now  almost  nineteen  years  old. 
He  was  taller  than  the  Japanese  ordinarily  are 
and  very  studious.  He  had  nearly  completed  the 
course  of  studies  in  the  school  and  was  a voung 
man  of  whom  the  “mother  in  America”  might 
well  be  proud. 

Harukichi  had  just  laid  down  the  sermon  he 
had  been  studying.  On  the  next  day  he  was  to 
preach  for  the  first  time  as  a regularly  ordained 
minister  in  his  own  church  in  Tokio.  By  teach- 
ing and  working  during  his  entire  theological 
course  he  had  managed  to  support  himself. 

“I  wonder,  Harukichi,  how  you  have  waited 
and  have  had  patience  all  these  years,”  said  Sai- 
jiro. “ I could  not  have  done  it.” 

“You  do  not  know,  Saijiro.  God  gives  us 
strength.  But  I cannot  tell  you  how  often  I have 
felt  my  patience  giving  way.  I long  for  my  pa- 
rents, and  I long  for  the  time  to  come  when  I can 
have  my  beloved  one  to  myself  and  when  she  and 
I can  work  together  in  this  great  harvest-field.” 


IIOMK  AGAIN. 


4^7 


But  later  on  tins  Saturday  afternoon,  when 
Saijiro  had  gone  off  on  some  expedition  with  the 
other  boys,  Harukichi  sat  by  the  window  in  the 
twilight  w’hen  two  jinrikishas  appeared,  coming 
slowly  along  the  road.  At  first  he  watched  them 
mechanically;  but  as  they  drew  nearer  the  figures 
in  them  seemed  strangely  familiar.  Could  it  be 
possible?  Yes,  surely!  Nearer  and  nearer  they 
came,  and  Harukichi’ s heart  gave  a wild  throb 
and  he  hastened  down  to  greet  his  father  and  mo- 
ther. 

The  old  lady  literally  lifted  up  her  voice  and 
wept.  “My  son,  my  son,”  she  said,  “we  can 
live  without  you  no  longer  and  have  come  to  see 
for  ourselves.” 

Oh,  the  happiness  in  the  mission  family  that 
evening ! The  news  was  carried  from  one  to  an- 
other, “ Harukichi’ s father  and  mother  have  come. 
The  IvOrd  has  answered  his  prayers.” 

Among  those  who  heard  Harukichi’ s first  ser- 
mon to  his  beloved  flock  the  next  day  were  his 
“ honorable  parents  ” and  his  heart’s  love,  Chiye. 


428 


IIESA  AND  SATJIRO. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

SOME  HAPPY  DAYS. 

And  now  there  came  some  bright,  pleasant 
times  for  our  friends.  The  Fujisawa  mansion  was 
all  thrown  open  again  and  filled  with  children, 
who  ran  and  laughed  and  shouted  through  the 
house  and  played  in  the  garden;  for  Tama  and 
IMesoburo  came  down  from  the  north  and  brought 
Genski  and  his  sisters — two  dainty  little  ladies — 
and  his  baby  brother. 

Almost  the  first  thing  Genski  did  after  the 
salutations  were  over  was  to  go  to  his  aunt  Chiye 
and  whisper  in  her  ear,  “ Honorable  auntie,  we  all 
go  to  the  mission-school  and  the  honorable  father 
and  mother  attend  the  mission  chapel.”  And 
Chiye  thanked  God  in  her  heart. 

Tama  had  not  been  in  Tokio  very  long  before 
she  made  a discovery.  “Who  is  that  young  man 
who  looks  so  often  at  Mitsu  ? and  why  does  he 
hang  around  the  house  and  follow  her  to  the 
church?”  she  asked. 

Then  Kesa  laughed  and  said,  “Oh,  that  is 
Toichi,  and  we  all  make  fun  of  him,  he  is  so  tall 
and  awkward.” 

But  Mitsu  said  nothing. 

And  it  happened  that  one  day  two  young  men 


SOME  HAPPY  DAYS. 


429 


called  on  Fujisawa  at  the  custom-house,  one  be- 
ing the  aforesaid  Toichi  and  the  other  Haruki- 
chi. 

Toichi,  being  the  elder,  spoke  first,  and  said, 
“Honorable  sir,  I know  and  esteem  your  daugh- 
ter, the  honorable  Mitsu.  I am  not  wealthy  and 
am  engaged  in  Christian  work,  but  I will  love 
and  protect  her.” 

And  what  answer  did  the  high  officer  Fujisa- 
wa make?  He  knew  something  of  Toichi,  and 
he  said,  “My  friend,  if  you  will  consent  to  come 
into  my  family,  adopt  my  name  and  have  your 
children  bear  it,  and  be  to  me  as  a son,  you  may 
have  my  daughter  Mitsu.”  For  the  husband  of 
long  ago  was  dead  and  Mitsu  was  free. 

Then  Harukichi  made  his  request  and  said,- 
“Honorable  high  officer,  some  years  ago  you  re- 
fused me  your  daughter  Chiye  on  the  ground  of 
my  parents’  disinheritance  of  me.  I have  the 
pleasure  to  tell  you  that  they  have  received  me 
again  as  their  son.  I am  now  a Christian  minis- 
ter settled  over  a church  in  Tokio.  I am  able  to 
make  your  daughter  comfortable  and  happy. 
Your  honorable  permission  I crave.” 

Then  Fujisawa  gave  to  Harukichi  the  beloved 
Chiye  to  be  his  wife. 

Not  long  after  that  day  there  was  a double 
wedding  in  the  Fujisawa  mansion  in  the  Kudaii. 
Toichi  and  Mitsu  and  Harukichi  and  Chiye  stood 
up  before  the  venerable  Makichi  and  promised  in 


430  KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 

the  name  of  the  Lord  to  be  faithful  husbands  and 
wives. 

Kesa  was  happy  as  a princess;  and  when  Ma- 
kichi  in  his  earnest  prayer  thanked  the  Lord  who 
had  given  such  grace  and  patience  to  these  dear 
young  people,  tears  rose  to  her  eyes — not  rebel- 
lious tears,  but  tears  of  love  and  peace.  She 
slipped  her  hand  into  Mrs.  Fielding’s,  saying,  “I 
wish  Marion  were  here.” 

Then  came  a pleasant  year  for  Kesa  at  school, 
and  both  she  and  Marion  finished  their  course  of 
studies  the  next  June. 

One  happy  day  Kesa  accompanied  Marion’s 
mother  to  Yokohama,  and  went  out  to  the  great 
American  steamer  in  a sampan  to  meet  and  wel- 
come her  young  friend. 

“ Dear  Kesa,”  said  Marion  when  they  had  an 
opportunity  to  talk  together,  '^are  you  not  yet  a 
Christian  ?” 

And  Kesa  said,  “I  cannot  be  like  Chiye, 
Maichan;  Chiye  is  always  the  same,  but  my  heart 
is  often  dark;  but  I do  love  the  Lord  who  died  for 
me,  and  I do  think  I am  a Christian.  I was  wait- 
ing for  you  to  come  and  now  I will  be  baptized.” 

So  one  August  Sunday  Kesa  was  baptized. 
Then,  by  Marion’s  side,  she  ate  of  the  broken 
bread  and  drank  of  the  poured-out  wine,  while 
the  presence  of  the  Lord  filled  both  their  hearts 
with  peace. 


CHRISTIAN  HOMES  AND  WORK. 


431 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

CHRISTIAN  HOMES  AND  CHRISTIAN  WORK. 

One  cold  winter  morning  Fujisawa  was  in- 
dulging in  a romp  with  his  little  grandson,  the 
child  of  Mitsu  and  Toichi.  The  old  home  still 
looked  bright  and  pleasant;  Mitsu  was  well  and 
happy,  and  Toichi  seemed  very  proud  of  her  and 
the  baby. 

“It  is  the  time  for  the  morning  worship,” 
called  Toichi  at  last. 

“Will  you  not  remain,  honorable  father?” 
asked  Mitsu. 

But  Fujisawa  shook  his  head  and  went  off,  al- 
though not  at  all  angered. 

Then  came  the  servants  and  the  gentle  mo- 
ther, who,  although  still  worshipping  her  idols  in 
secret,  would  always  listen  to  Mitsu  when  she  read 
the  Scriptures  to  her,  and  attended  family  pray- 
ers and  went  occasionally  to  the  meetings.  Ke- 
sa  followed  her  mother  and  some  of  the  neighbors 
came  in.  Toichi  read  and  explained  a few  verses 
of  Matthew’s  Gospel  and  prayed,  and  then  Kesa 
led  in  singing  a Christian  hymn. 

“Where  are  you  going  to-day,  Kesa?”  asked 
IMitsu,  when  the  simple  service  was  ended. 

“Thanks,  honorable  sister^  I am  going  to  see 


43^ 


KESA  AXD  SAIJIRO. 


Chiye,  and  then  to  the  girls’  missionary  meeting 
at  the  school,”  said  Kesa. 

Chiye’s  house  was  near  Shiba.  Money  in  plen- 
ty was  at  Harukichi’s  command,  but  only  so  much 
as  was  sufficient  to  maintain  his  family  in  comfort 
did  he  retain.  The  rest  was  given  freely  to  the 
work  of  spreading  the  gospel  among  the  Japanese. 

When  Kesa  arrived  at  the  pretty  little  house 
she  called,  “Excuse  me,”  and  then  pushed  open 
the  slides  and  went  through  to  the  back  room, 
where  Chiye  sat  near  a hibachi. 

Harukichi  stood  beside  his  wife,  and  in  one 
corner  a merry  little  girl  was  playing  with  some 
toys.  The  baby  looked  up  and  smiled  when  Ke- 
sa entered,  and  Harukichi  and  Chiye  welcomed 
her  with  loving  words  and  looks. 

“Where  are  you  going  to-day,  honorable  bro- 
ther?” asked  Kesa. 

“Thanks,  young  Saijiro  and  I go  to  the  out- 
skirts of  the  city  towards  the  west,  to  hold  meet- 
ings, and  shall  be  away  all  day.  Good-by,  dear 
wife ; good-by,  honorable  sister  ; good-by,  little 
one.  ’ ’ 

“It  always  seems  so  quiet  and  peaceful  here, 
Chiye,”  said  Kesa  when  Harukichi  had  gone. 

Then  Chiye  pointed  to  a long  scroll  on  which 
was  beautifully  written  in  Chinese  characters, 
“Peace  be  unto  this  house;”  and  Kesa  under- 
stood. 

Then  came  a cry  at  the  door,  and  the  servant 


CHRISTIAN  HOMES  AND  WORK.  433 

soon  after  entered  with  a letter  lying  on  a beauti- 
ful lacquered  tray.  She  stooped  low  to  the  floor 
and  handed  the  tray  to  Chiye. 

Her  pale  cheeks  flushed  and  there  was  a glad 
look  in  her  bright  eyes.  “ It  is  from  Kei,  Kesa,” 
she  cried;  and  the  sisters  read  the  letter  together. 

“ Beloved,  beloved,  greetings  in  the  Bord.  I 
rejoice  to  tell  yon  how  blessed  I am  in  my  work. 
God  has  kept  me  in  peace  and  in  health,  although 
I have  travelled  much  over  mountains  and 
through  valleys  and  in  boats  on  the  sea.  The 
people  listen  gladly,  and  the  work  is  blessed. 
Nantaro,  my  brother,  goes  with  me  and  will  not 
leave  my  side.  I think  he  will  soon  believe. 
Pray  for  him.  Please,  your  honorable  prayers  I 
crave.  Compliments,  compliments  to  the  honor- 
able mother  and  sisters  and  to  the  honorable  hus- 
bands. Compliments,  compliments.” 

Great  was  the  rejoicing  over  this  letter,  and 
Chiye  and  Kesa  read  it  over  and  over,  while  the 
baby  Michi  played  in  her  corner. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  the  two  sisters  took  a 
jinrikisha  for  the  mission-school,  where  Marion 
met  them,  and  the  three  went  together  to  a room 
consecrated  by  work  and  prayer  for  many  a long 
year.  Bright  girls  and  pleasant-faced  young  wo- 
men gathered  here,  and  after  some  opening  exer- 
cises took  out  their  work.  Some  were  embroi- 
dering, some  were  dressing  dolls,  and  others  had 
plainer  sewing.  All  the  articles  were  to  be  sold 

28 


Kena  and  ?alilro. 


434 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


for  the  benefit  of  some  poor  church  or  Sunday- 
school,  and  the  workers  talked  together  pleasant- 
ly of  what  they  had  heard  concerning  the  progress 
of  the  cause  that  they  loved. 

“ Old  Moino  died  trusting  in  Jesus,”  said  one. 

“ Momoki  believes,”  said  another. 

A third  had  a sad  tale  to  tell  of  one  who  had 
gone  back  to  heathenism,  and  they  all  grieved, 
and  prayed  that  the  girl’s  faith  might  be  restored. 

The  subject  for  the  day  was  their  neighboring 
country,  Corea. 

“Good  news  has  come  to  us,”  said  Kesa  ; 
“work  among  the  girls  has  begun  in  Corea. 
Some  are  already  studying  with  the  honorable 
foreign  teachers,  and  some  are  learning  to  be 
nurses  in  the  hospitals.”  Then  Kesa,  taking  an 
English  magazine,  fluently  read  and  translated  an 
account  of  the  good  work  begun  among  the  women 
of  Corea. 

A girl  was  then  asked  to  thank  God,  and  she 
said,  “Dear  Lord,  we  thank  thee  that  thou  hast 
been  so  good  to  the  women  of  Corea,  and  we 
thank  thee  for  the  new  schools  in  Osaka,  Kioto, 
and  Kanazawa,  and  we  pray  thee  to  bless  the 
schools  in  Yokohama  and  in  Tokio  and  all  over 
the  land.  Bless  the  Bible-women  and  all  the 
Christian  workers  all  over  the  land.  This  we  ask 
for  the  dear  Saviour’s  sake.” 

“I  am  never  happy  except  when  I am  work- 
ing hard,”  said  Kesa  to  Chive  as  thev  rode  home 


CHRISTIAN  HOMES  AND  WORK.  435 

together  in  the  jinrikisha.  “I  could  never  be 
quiet  and  suffer  pain  like  you,  and  be  happy.” 
Then  said  Chiye,  “ I hope  you  will  have  some 
hard  work  given  to  you,  Kesa.” 

“You  and  Mitsu  do  so  much  in  speaking  to 
the  women  and  children  and  living  such  beauti- 
ful lives.” 

True  it  was  that  Chiye  and  Mitsu  found  con- 
stant opportunities  of  usefulness  in  a quiet  way, 
and  many  wandering  ones  were  directed  by  them 
into  the  safe  and  happy  path.  Aka  too  was  use- 
ful; she  had  long  ago  joined  a class  for  married 
women,  and  what  she  learned  she  imparted  to 
other  women  in  her  neighborhood.  She  was  con- 
tented and  cheerful,  very  different  from  the  sad 
weeper  of  days  gone  by.  Fusa,  Chiye’ s friend, 
was  in  a training-school  for  nurses;  and  slow 
Haru  had  found  that  medicine  was  her  forte,  and 
was  studying  to  be  a doctor. 

Connected  with  the  various  schools  were  kin- 
dergartens, and  there  were  normal  classes  for  the 
girls  who  wished  to  learn  the  system.  Some  of 
the  older  pupils  taught  the  little  ones;  and  there 
were  Bible-readings,  prayer-meetings,  and  schools 
for  poor  children — work  in  plenty  for  all. 

Look  at  Tokio  on  a Sunday  morning  not  long 
ago.  Kesa,  Mitsu,  Aka,  and  other  Christian  wo- 
men and  girls  are  starting  out  to  gather  poor  and 
outcast  children  for  the  Sunday-schools.  To  the 
fishermen’s  children,  to  the  jinrikiyas'  children, 


KESA  AXD  SAIJIRO. 


436 

to  poor,  blind,  halt,  and  withered,  they  go;  and 
by  nine  a large  number  are  gathered  together  to 
hear  the  Christian  teaching.  Later  come  the 
great  congregations  t*o  the  churches;  to  the  For- 
eign Concession,  to  the  Kudan,  to  the  Tori,  to 
many  a place  in  the  suburbs,  they  flock,  and  all 
Tokio  resounds  with  Christian  hymns  and  the 
melody  of  organs  and  the  voices  of  the  under- 
shepherds as  they  tell  of  the  love  of  the  chief 
Shepherd  for  his  sheep. 

And  not  only  in  Tokio,  but  in  many  other  cit- 
ies of  Japan — in  Yokohama,  in  Hakodate,  in  Ki- 
oto, Osaka,  and  Kobe,  and  even  in  far  western 
Kanazawa,  the  gospel  is  preached.  On  the  Ha- 
kones,  on  the  islands  of  the  Inland  Sea,  every- 
where the  good  news  is  being  carried,  and  hearts 
rejoice. 

Besides  all  this,  many  a little  seed  is  dropped 
in  private  and  many  a heart  in  secret  goes  up  to 
God  in  prayer. 


SAIJIRO’S  RHSOLVK. 


437 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

SAIJIRO’S  RESOLVE. 

The  story  of  the  Good  Shepherd  searching  lor 
and  leading  home  his  lost  sheep  cannot  be  told  too 
often,  especially  in  this  present  age,  when  so  many 
are  looking  for  a better  way  than  that  marked  out 
in  the  Word  of  God  and  a better  leader  than  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  There  are  even  those  born  in 
Christian  lands  who  are  trying  to  persuade  men 
that  Buddhism  is  a better  religion  than  Christian- 
ity.  But  what  has  Buddhism  done  for  the  world 
in  comparison  with  the  blessings  of  which  Chris- 
tianity is  the  source  ? What  is  its  art  compared 
with  Christian  art?  its  music  compared  with 
Christian  music?  its  science  compared  with  Chris- 
tian science?  its  literature  compared  with  Chris- 
tian literature  ? its  morality  compared  witfi  Chris- 
tian morality?  its  charity  compared  with  Chris- 
tian charity  ? What  sins  has  it  washed  -away, 
what  fears  has  it  banished,  what  tears  has  it 
dried,  and  what  soul  has  it  led  safely  through 
this  world  to  that  of  which  die  gospel  tells  us? 

You  have  seen  the  great  changes  which  have 
taken  place  since  the  spring  day  when  Kesa  came 
into  the  world  and  when  Saijiro  cried  for  his  mo- 
ther on  the  mountain.  But  do  not  think  that  all 


43« 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


the  work  is  done.  It  is  true  there  are  schools, 
colleges,  theological  seminaries,  normal  classes, 
training-schools,  mothers’  classes,  Bible-readings, 
prayer-meetings,  and  churches  scattered  through 
the  land.  The  Bible  has  been  translated  into 
Japanese  and  some  Christian  literature  has  been 
given  to  the  people.  There  are  thousands  of  edu- 
cated young  men  and  women,  and  scores  of  preach- 
ers and  teachers;  but  the  cry  ever  is  for  more  la- 
borers, and  the  motto  on  the  Christian  banner  is 
still,  “ Forward  !”  B^or  the  Japanese  are  num- 
bered by  millions  and  the  native  Christians  only 
by  thousands.  The  number  of  idol-worshippers 
is  appalling;  and  infidelity,  as  soul-destroying  as 
superstition,  is  abroad  in  the  land. 

One  evening  Harukichi  and  Saijiro  stopped  to 
rest  after  a day  of  labor  at  one  of  the  temples  in 
the  suburbs  of  Tokio.  The  mountain  child  whom 
we  first  knew  was  now  a strong,  vigorous  young 
man,  just  completing  his  course  of  studies  in  the 
theological  seminary  and  ready  to  go  to  work. 

Harukichi  had  listened  with  joy  and  thankful- 
ness to  his  earnest  talk  that  day  to  the  crowds  who 
had  gathered  to  listen.  “ God  bless  you,  my  bro- 
ther,” he  had  said  as  they  left  the  preaching- 
place. 

But  Saijiro  was  quiet  and  thoughtful  and  did 
not  speak  until  the  two  were  resting  on  the  grassy 
slope  in  the  temple  enclosure;  then  suddenly  he 
said,  “Oh,  my  friend,  I have  thought  over  the 


SAIJIRO’S  resolve. 


439 


proposal  made  me  to  take  charge  of  one  of  these 
city  churches.  It  would  be  pleasant  to  work 
with  you  and  have  you  ever  by  my  side,  but  my 
heart  is  in  the  mountain  with  my  people,  and  to 
them  I must  go.  ” 

Then  Harukichi,  although  grieved  to  lose  his 
young  friend,  stretched  out  his  hand  to  him  and 
said,  “It  is  well,  Saijiro;  you  have  decided  well; 
and  the  blessing  of  God  be  with  you.” 

But  Saijiro  had  something  more  to  say.  “Oh, 
Harukichi,”  and  he  spoke  with  kindling  eyes, 
“my  heart  goes  out  to  the  youngest  daughter 
of  the  high  officer  Fujisawa,  your  beloved 
wife’s  sister.  Dogu^  I have  nothing  but  pov- 
erty and  hard  work  to  offer  her.  Do  you 
think  that  I might  ask  her  to  be  my  wife?” 

Then  Harukichi  smiled  wisely  and  said,  “Ask 
her,  Saijiro;  and  God  be  with  you.” 

A week  or  two  later  there  had  been  a gather- 
ing of  Christians  in  the  grand  temple  enclosure 
Uyeno.  The  church  members  had  held  a solemn 
convocation.  Hundreds  had  met  to  pray  and 
talk  and  sing,  and  three  hundred  Christian  'women 
had  come  together  and  told  of  what  the  Ford  had 
done  for  them.  And  now  the  crowds  were  disr 
persing  and  the  people  were  going  back  to  their 
homes. 

In  one  corner  of  the  temple  grounds  a little 
group  had  gathered,  all  friends  whom  we  well 
know.  There  were  Mitsu  and  Toichi,  with  Sai- 


440 


i:ksa  and  satjtro. 


kichi,  their  queer,  bright  little  boy,  between  them, 
and  Chiye  and  Hariikichi,  with  little  Michi.  Aka 
was  near  talking  with  Kojiro,  still  under  in- 
struction in  one  of  the  missions,  and  not  far 
away  were  Dr.  and  Mrs.  FieMing  and  IMarion; 
while  Yenoske  and  Yen  were  arranofinof  some 
baskets,  and  Cho  was  trying  hard  to  help  her 
mother.  The  sun  was  setting,  and  long  beams  of 
glory  streamed  through  the  trees. 

“It  is  time  to  go  home,”  said  Chiye  at  last; 
“but  where  is  Kesa?” 

Harukichi  smiled  and  pointed  down  the  walk, 
saying,  “See,  dear  wife.” 

And,  truly,  there  came  Kesa  and  Saijiro  hand 
in  hand.  When  they  reached  the  little  group 
Saijiro  said,  “Rejoice  with  me,  my  friends,  for 
Kesa  has  promised  to  be  my  wife  and  go  with  me 
to  the  mountain.” 

Then  the  others  crowded  about  the  newly-be- 
trothed pair,  and  there  was  abundance  of  joy  and 
well-wishing. 

Chiye  came  and  stood  by  Kesa’s  side,  and 
when  the  others  had  ceased  speaking  she  said, 

“You  will  have  your  longed-for  hard  work, 
dear  sister.  l\Iay  the  Good  Shepherd  be  with  you 
for  ever !” 

And  all  the  others  responded,  “Amen.” 


GLOSSARY 


Aino,  singular  and  plural.  The  aborigines  of  Japan. 
Aitchu.  The  burden  of  a coolie’s  cry  or  song. 

Ama.  a Buddhist  nun. 

Amida.  a title  of  Buddha. 

Baba.  Grandmother,  or  nurse. 

Bakemono.  a ghost. 

Beni.  A pink  coloring  matter. 

Benten.  The  name  of  a goddess. 

Bento.  A little  wooden  box. 

Bon.  a Japanese  priest. 

Bon-sama.  a respectful  title  for  a priest. 

Cash.  A petty  coin  ; lo  make  a cent. 

Chan.  A term  of  familiarity,  added  to  the  first  syllable 
of  a child’s  name  or  title.  Thus  “ Kechan  ” means  “ Dear 
Kesa.” 

Dai.  Great,  noble,  exalted. 

Dai  Butsu.  A chief  idol  of  Japan. 

Daikoku.  a Japanese  idol. 

Daikon.  A large  radish. 

Daimio.  a territorial  noble  of  former  days. 

Dai  Nippon.  “ Great  Japan.” 

. Dogu!  Alas!  a common  exclamation  of  surprise  or 
sorrow. 

Dzukin.  a winter  hood  for  females. 

Furushiki.  a kerchief  or  scarf. 

Futon.  A stuffed  mattress. 


442 


KESA  AND  SAIJIRO. 


Geta.  a wooden  shoe. 

Hai  ! Yes,  or  Look  out ! 

Hiakuninishiu.  “One  hundred  poems,”  a collection 
very  popular  in  Japan. 

Hibachi.  a brazier  or  fire-box. 

Hotoke.  a saint. 

JiNRiKisHA.  A two- wheeled  carriage  drawn  by  men. 
JiNRiKiYA,  singular  and  plural.  Men  who  draw  jinrikishas. 
Kago.  a sedan-chair. 

Mikado.  The  title  of  the  emperor. 

Mochi.  Hard  cakes  made  of  rice. 

Mushi.  The  hot  and  wet  season  in  Japan. 

Nippon.  Japan. 

Oni.  Evil  spirit. 

Saionara  ! Farewell ! If  it  must  be  so ! 

S.\KE.  An  intoxicating  drink  made  from  rice. 

Sama.  a title  of  respect  to  men,  women,  or  idols. 
Samisen.  The  Japanese  guitar. 

Sampan.  A small  boat. 

Samurai.  The  military  class. 

San.  a respectful  title. 

Sensei.  Teacher. 

Sh.uka.  a title  of  Buddha. 

Shogun,  A military  commander-in-chief. 

Tai-fu.  a “great  wind,”  or  typhoon. 

Tai-kun.  “ Great  ruler.” 

Taykosama.  “ The  great  lord,”  the  name  of  a famous 
prince  of  old  Japan. 

Toriye,  or  Torii.  A bird-rest  before  a temple. 

Yashiki.  a gentleman’s  dwelling  and  outbuildings  in- 
closed. 

Yebisu.  a Japanese  idol. 

ZoRi.  A sandal. 


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DATE  DUE  1 

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GAYLORD 

PRINTED  IN  U.S.  A. 

